Sarah Ferguson reportedly almost hosted her own American daytime talk show, but a chaotic episode involving two stranded NBC executives and her young princesses sank the whole deal. The network’s bosses allegedly flew to the UK in the early 2000s, genuinely excited by the Duchess of York’s energy and royal star power. But insiders claim that what happened next turned a promising negotiation into an unforgettable fiasco — one that left NBC unwilling to gamble on Ferguson and ultimately paved the way for Ellen DeGeneres to reign in daytime television.
Sarah Ferguson made NBC executives act like ‘royal babysitters’ amid talk show deal, per source
Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice on Substack exclusively reported that trouble in Sarah Ferguson’s NBC talk show started mid-discussion. Apparently, Ferguson abruptly announced she needed to go to London for a few days, so she departed — and as an insider claimed, “The next thing they knew, she had left the NBC executives alone with Beatrice and Eugenie.”
The insider added, “These folks flew overseas to negotiate a television deal. Instead, they found themselves acting like royal babysitters. Nobody could believe it.”
For nearly 48 hours, Ferguson reportedly stayed away with barely any explanation. And when she finally reappeared, the source claimed, “There was no apology, no explanation — that was classic Fergie chaos,” as those close to the Duchess say she often used the phrase “going into the fire” whenever she felt overwhelmed and needed to escape.
NBC reportedly taped a pilot of the talk show with Sarah Ferguson, and executives genuinely liked what they saw. An insider claimed, “They loved Sarah’s energy,” adding, “but they realized very quickly they could never trust her” after the babysitting incident, so the network allegedly walked away. They ultimately gave the daytime slot to Ellen DeGeneres.
Now, the misadventure remains a story of what might have been for Ferguson, because she had it all — the personality and the name to command a daytime audience — but the NBC reportedly could not trust her reliability.
Originally reported by Ishika Mishra on Reality Tea
