The last thing The Lunch Hour needed was a scandal. The show was already in a time of transition with Mo’s departure, so adding Shawn and Nina having an affair and conceiving a child is a lot to deal with, particularly for Maxine. Not only does she have to deal with the personal ramifications of her first grandchild being born from something ugly, she has to figure out how to turn the negative attention the show is receiving into something positive; in a television environment where it can be hard to stick out for any reason, The Lunch Hour receiving this volume of headlines could become a good thing if played the right way. But how exactly do you navigate a cheating scandal with finesse?
On the next episode of Daytime Divas, Maxine calls in crisis manager Isabel Carlisle to help spin this situation to the show’s benefit. The initial plan involves a joint statement lacking any specific or sordid details of the affair itself that pivots into a panel discussion on gender roles; this keeps Shawn and Nina from looking like they’re throwing dirt at Andrew and uses the controversy as a way of generating positive discussion that plays into the show’s strengths. There are a lot of eyes on The Lunch Hour right now and since they can’t exactly hide the paternity of Nina’s child after what happened at Heather’s concert, they can demonstrate what makes the show such a valuable member of the television community. At least this way, the conversation around the show might shift to the show itself long enough for the next showbiz scandal to steal headlines from Shawn and Nina.
Elsewhere on Daytime Divas, Nina, Heather, and Kibby are shell-shocked when they learn Maxine has brought Anna Crouse onto The Lunch Hour.
Daytime Divas airs Mondays at 10:00 on VH1.
Will Isabel’s plan for managing Shawn and Nina’s crisis work in the show’s favor? How will Maxine’s relationship with her son change as a result of this latest revelation? Should the other co-hosts at The Lunch Hour going to try and freeze Anna out?