Tyler Oakley debuts new talk show

BY SAM GUTELLE

Back in May, Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellen Digital Ventures announced a content development deal with YouTube star Tyler Oakley. Now, four months later, a talk show born from that partnership has arrived. Oakley is the host of The Tyler Oakley Show, a celebrity interview series available on DeGeneres’ Ellentube platform.

In each episode of his new show, Oakley sits down with a few guests and bathes them in the sort of fawning reverence that only a self-styled “professional fangirl” could provide. In the premiere, he chats with singer Céline Dion (and wins a kiss from her) before meeting up with actress Kerry Washington and DeGeneres to play a word association game that would not be out of place on his YouTube channel.

As we can see in a preview introduced by Oakley and DeGeneres, The Tyler Oakley Show will feature a plethora of famous guests, including Carrie Underwood, Kristen Bell, and Seth Rogen. “I’m so excited for the launch of Tyler’s new series,” DeGeneres said. “I can only imagine what it’s like to host your own talk show!”

Oakley’s relationship with DeGeneres extends back before their content development deal. In 2015, the YouTube star—who like DeGeneres is a notable figure in the LGBT community—appeared as a guest on The Ellen Show.

The Tyler Oakley Show is the latest off-YouTube venture for its host. Among other ventures, Oakley has appeared as a contestant on The Amazing Race, interviewed celebrities at Vanity Fair’s post-Oscars party, and authored a best-selling book called Binge.