talking head

American  

noun

1. Television Slang. a closeup picture of a person who is talking, especially as a participant in a talk show.

2. Slang. a person whose talk is empty and pretentious.

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talking head British  

noun

1. (on television) a person, such as a newscaster, who is shown only from the shoulders up, and speaks without the use of any illustrative material

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Etymology

Origin of talking head

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The film, directed by Douglas Tirola, is assembled from various archival materials; the only talking head belongs to Bernstein himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Instead, upper management sent a talking head who gave a two-hour motivational speech outlining the seven new corporate principles that the company’s executives cooked up during their recent weeklong “retreat” in Aruba.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025

Seacrest is a benign countenance, almost by design, an apolitical figure who rarely offers the audience much in the way of personal details, even in his role as pop culture talking head.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2024

And unlike talking head interviews typical of reality TV, his “confessional” interstitials come in the form of stand-up comedy performances in which he openly admits his flaws, while making the audience laugh.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2024

“At best we’re saying we don’t know,” says the talking head.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Related Words

• commentator
• newscaster