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After less than three months, Tyra Banks is exiting syndicated daytime show FABLife.
In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter, Banks said that she wanted to scale back on her daytime duties in order to focus on her cosmetics line.
“This is a very difficult decision, but necessary,” she said in the statement.
FABLife is produced by Disney/ABC. Banks will remain as executive producer through December. With a bench of co-hosts and contributors — including Chrissy Teigen, fashion editor Joe Zee, interior designer Lauren Makk and YouTube star Leah Ashley — there are no plans to replace Banks. She will continue to appear on the show a few times a week through December and will make occasional appearances on the show throughout the season.
“I will be devoting more time to my new, growing cosmetics company, TYRA Beauty, which is expanding faster than anticipated, as well as overseeing my company’s other entertainment ventures. I will, however, continue to support the growth and success of FABLife and greatly admire my fellow co-hosts and the talented production team behind the show,” Banks added in her statement.
FABLife marked Banks’ highly anticipated return to daytime after The Tyra Banks Show went off the air in 2010. That series ran for five seasons and earned Banks two Daytime Emmy awards for outstanding informative talk show.
While promoting FABLife at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Banks said she had not anticipated a return to daytime and she noted that her life had become too hectic with a talk show and America’s Next Top Model running concurrently.
“It just wasn’t a healthy thing for me,” she said at TCA. “At that time in my career, I was probably the most successful, lucrative and [relevant] … and the most unhappy. And so when [The Tyra Banks Show] ended, I was like, ‘I’m done with talk. I’m going to hunker down, go to business school, and really focus on the business side of my career.’ “
Her change of heart came after a meeting with Lisa Hackner, ABC’s executive vp daytime and syndicated programming, who had previously worked for Telepictures Productions, which produced The Tyra Banks Show. Banks said she especially liked the idea of sharing hosting duties with several other people — a format that has become increasingly common in daytime following The View and more recently The Talk and The Real. “[Lisa] knew that I did not want to do it by myself,” Banks said in August.
America’s Next Top Model, will wrap in December after 12 years. But Banks also is working on a series for Disney Channel called Life-Size 2. She also just wrapped a guest stint on ABC’s Black-ish.
The following joint statement from Disney/ABC and Banks was issued to news stations on Friday:
Tyra Banks has made the decision to scale back her role on the show beginning later this month and she will be appearing less frequently as part of the FABLife cast. Tyra will be devoting more time to her new, growing cosmetics company, TYRA Beauty, which is expanding faster than anticipated, as well as overseeing her company’s other entertainment ventures.
Tyra remains committed to the growth and success of FABLife and has expressed her sincere thanks for the support our station partners have given the show.
Fortunately, one of FABLife’s greatest strengths is its diverse and strong panel of lifestyle hosts, which include Chrissy Teigen, Joe Zee, Leah Ashley and Lauren Makk. We will continue our goal to refine and grow FABLife, with the goal of making it a daily destination for all things Food, Fashion, Home, Beauty, DIY and Fun.
FABLife, one of the few new daytime offerings this fall, has been a modest ratings performer thus far. It remains to be seen how much Banks’ exit will impact the series. Following Banks, Teigen is the show’s most well-known personality, thanks to her impressive social media following on Twitter and Instagram.
Daytime talk shows led by a single celebrity have been on the decline in recent years due to the low viewership for Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper’s short-lived talk shows. Meredith Vieira’s show returned for a second season this fall, but with several new regular contributors, most notably Lance Bass.
FABLife‘s executive producers also include Shane Farley (The Rachael Ray Show). Rebecca Mayer (Toddlers and Tiaras) serves as a co-executive producer. The show is produced by Disney-ABC’s Summerdale Productions and is distributed by Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution.
Banks is repped by WME.
Nov. 20, 9:26 p.m.: Updated with statement from Disney/ABC and Banks.
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