Patricia Matthews / Talk shows / EEW Magazine Online

Black women have long been underrepresented and misrepresented in entertainment. In fact, looking for Black women of faith on TV has essentially been tantamount to searching for water in the desert.

But things are slowly changing as Black Christian women like Tamron Hall, Jennifer Hudson, and Sherri Shepherd are taking centerstage in the notoriously white, secular space of daytime talk shows.

EEW Magazine Online is calling their rise to prominence the Christian TV Blackout—and we love to see it.

Even so, our entertainment experts are cautious and sober, as success with daytime’s female-skewing audience isn’t guaranteed no matter a contender’s race, faith, resume or fame.

“Talented people have tried to grace daytime. But if they don’t have an every-person appeal and they don’t interview people well” they wash out, said marketing analyst Stacey Lynn Schulman, founder and chief executive of Human Insight.

Therefore, despite being Black and Christian, taking a hardline approach on racial and faith issues would do nothing more than isolate a large segment of society that does not relate to such classifications or affiliations.

In a day and age of divisive politics, rampant racism, and debates on women’s rights centering on issues of abortion, Black women of faith must masterfully walk a tightrope if they hope not to topple in ratings.

The producers behind Shepherd and Hudson’s shows express confidence that their respective hosts have the right touch and can do just that.

Hudson, 41, the “American Idol” alum who went on to award-winning screen, stage and music success, is “funny, authentic and genuine,” said executive producer Mary Connelly, who held that job with DeGeneres’ show.

“What we’ve learned in our short time together is how much the audience loves Jennifer, and how much she loves the audience,” Connelly said. “We’re going to have all the conventions of a talk show, but one of the things that will make the show stand out is her interactions with the audience.”

David Perler, executive producer and showrunner for “Sherri,” said 55-year-old Shepherd’s depth of talk-show experience, including her tenure as a co-host on “The View” and subbing for the health-challenged Wendy Williams, is a big advantage.

“It’s so easy to work with somebody who has done this for many years and different incarnations,” Perler said. The new show is built around her desire to “make you feel better when you leave at the end of the hour than you did before.”

“At the root of it, which is just who Sherri is, is always going to be the comedic element. She’s funny. She loves to laugh, and she’s still going out there and doing stand-up,” Perler said.

Hall, Emmy-winning host of the “Tamron Hall” show, which is entering its fourth season, has already found a respectable place within the highly contested world of daytime talk which includes shows hosted by Drew Barrymore, Kelly Clarkson and Rachel Ray, along with juggernauts like “Dr. Phil,” “The View,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” which recently ended.

She realizes the uphill battle yet recognizes the progress that is gradually being made.

“There were no Black women on for many, many years after Oprah Winfrey. So, clearly someone didn’t get the memo,” said the 51-year-old in an Associated Press interview. “There was an absence of representation of diversity in daytime. I think that many people believe that that was an anomaly, that Oprah Winfrey was a fantastic, transformational person but did not look to widen the community of daytime television.”

The broadening now taking effect is exciting for Black women of faith, though Hall cautions viewers and critics not to lump them all together, as neither Black nor Christian audiences are monolithic – and the same is true of each host.

Hall declared, “We are owed the respect to recognize what each of us bring to the table and how each of us are different. And I think that’s very important at this time where we are seeing a number of shows hosted by people who happen to be Black. We’re not all the same, and to make us all the same is unfair.”

Check your local listings for viewing times and stations for “Jennifer Hudson,” “Sherri,” and “Tamron Hall.”

The Associated Press contributed to this EEW Magazine Online report.