With ten minutes to go before “The Talk” finally signed off, the champagne was already flowing on the set. “The Talk” ended its 15-year run on Friday with one final live episode, and the show’s producers ended the show by gathering the cast and crew on stage for a final, celebratory toast.
The audience took the stage to celebrate alongside presenters Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood as they said their final goodbyes.
“We thank you all for watching and laughing, and sometimes even crying along with us,” Morales said. “We thank everyone for being here with us. Our amazing crew is here with us every day, for the production team, for our wonderful, loyal audience. So many of you have occupied these seats day after day, over and over again. Our amazing executive producers past and present. To the most wonderful people here during the day: we are going to miss you all very much.”
Added Underwood: “We thank God for 15 great seasons. We are very grateful.”
The finale of “The Talk” opened with a lengthy standing ovation from the studio audience for the hosts, who were quickly reduced to tears. “I just wanted to know why everyone is so nice today,” O’Connell joked.
O’Connell credited Underwood, the show’s longest-standing host, for integrating him into “The Talk”: “I went back and watched my first episode. I mean, you’re not going to believe this, but I jumped out of my chair. And Sheryl took me aside after the show and said, ‘Hey man, you’ve been here before. Just pretend you’ve been here. And I want to thank Sheryl very much.”
Morales said: “For me, the legacy of the show is the joy we brought to people. We gave people the chance to take a break from their daily lives. Whatever they did, they could just stop and look at us, maybe laugh a little, and forget about their problems for an hour. And I hope we’ve at least done that for you at home, for our studio audience. I hope we’ve given you a reprieve from some of the world’s problems. We love each other here. I think we shared that respect and joy every day, and we hope you felt it too.”
For Kloots: “I live with a child, so I come here every day and can talk to people… about very fun, crazy topics to important topics, I am so grateful for that. We don’t argue with each other, we really value each other’s opinions.”
Gbajabiamila called “a great working environment. To come here every day and enjoy being here at work. No matter which corner of the building I sat in, it was always just good energy, good people. When I started this journey, the theme I had in mind was conversation over confrontation. Especially the climate we find ourselves in today.”
The final episode included a pre-recorded package that looked back on Underwood’s tenure on the show, having been there the longest (in Season 2 in 2011), as well as a compilation of clips of some of the wildest moments from 15 years of ‘The Conversation’ .”
Underwood shared the story of when she first auditioned for “The Talk” and first met original hosts Sarah Gilbert (who created the series) and Julie Chen Moonves. “I said, the girl from ‘Big Brother’ and the girl from ‘Roseanne’? Certainly. I don’t think I have a job. I think I’ll just meet them. So I meet them, and then I have breakfast with Sharon Osbourne at the Polo Lounge. And she vomits on me in the Polo Lounge. This is a true story.”
Underwood said she kept the story about Sharon Osbourne’s vomit a secret until Osbourne shared it. “She tells the end of the story that she got in her car and threw up her whole car,” Underwood said. “She had a stomach flu. I’m so glad I didn’t offer her a ride home.’
The only guest in the finale was Howie Mandel, who had appeared regularly on “The Talk” and stopped by again to pay tribute to the hosts through awards called “The Talkies.”
“This show has truly been a second home to me over the years,” Mandel said. “So today I’m here to do something special for my friends. Nikki Glaser gets the Golden Globes. I understand this.”
The Talkie for “best competitor” went to Morales. Gbajabiamila was mentioned “likely to crash a cooking segment.” Kloots received the award for ‘pillow prize fighter’. O’Connell received the Talkie for ‘best performance by a topless presenter’. Underwood received honors for “best 1-800 shout out.”
Underwood thanked the show’s director “who saved my life. When I first came here, we were sitting at a table and I thought they were only filming me from the waist down. But I didn’t know they could see all the footage. And he whispers in my ear: ‘close your legs.’ And I would also like to apologize to camera five.”
“The Talk” ended appropriately with a lengthy end credits, featuring clips of the entire crew working on the show.