Jenny McCarthy Talk Show Heading to VH1 (Exclusive)

VH1 executives hope they have found their Chelsea Handler equivalent in Jenny McCarthy.

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The network is developing The Jenny McCarthy Show, a talk show set to premiere in late summer or fall. “We wanted to get back in the game and create a signature show that really hit that female funny sweet spot, and Jenny was always on the top of our list because our audience grew up with Jenny,” says VH1’s EVP of original programming and production Jeff Olde, referencing McCarthy’s mid-1990s work on MTV’s dating show Singled Out. 

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While McCarthy’s irreverent brand and the addition of executive producer Michael Davies (best known these days for his involvement in Bravo's Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen) make the project a natural fit for late night, VH1 hasn’t made any decisions about its day-part. The Viacom-owned network is staying similarly mum on the exact nature of the show, acknowledging only that it will feature McCarthy’s take on pop culture as well as guest panelists and celebrity interviews.

The actress, comedian and author of seven best-selling books previously had talk show projects in contention at both NBC and Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, but neither moved forward. “We just kept stalking her until she was free,” quips Olde, adding that he sold her on the premise that he’d let her be her. 

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Davies will produce the show for his Sony Pictures TV-based Embassy Row, with McCarthy joining him as an executive producer. Shelly Tatro, Karla Hidalgo and Olde will executive produce for VH1.

McCarthy, who has guested on such shows as Two and a Half Men andThe Drew Carey Show, is repped by WME, United Entertainment and Bloom Hergott.

Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose