Eleanor Mondale, recently hired as an entertainment correspondent for "CBS This Morning," is one of the two finalists to replace Greg Kinnear on NBC's latenight "Later With ..." talkshow, according to sources.
Mondale, who also hosts the profile/interview series "Uncut" on E! Entertainment Television, is reportedly in competition with comedian Greg Giraldo for the "Later" slot. A source said Monday that as far as he knew, NBC had yet to decide between the two and has committed to make a choice after the first of the year. Should Mondale get the job, she would become the second E! personality to move on to "Later," since Kinnear cut his teeth hosting that cabler's "Talk Soup" for two years.
Sources inside NBC stressed that no decision would be made until at least January, pending West Coast prexy Don Ohlmeyer's return from a rehab stint at the Betty Ford Center.
Kinnear announced he was ankling "Later" in September to devote more time to his budding film career. David Alan Grier, George Wallace and Bill Zehme are among those who have guest-hosted the show in his stead.
"Later" airs Monday-Thursday nights from 1:35-2:05 a.m. on the Peacock web. Mondale, daughter of former Vice President Walter Mondale, also has hosted specials for the Discovery Channel. Giraldo starred in the short-lived ABC fall sitcom "Common Law."
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