The broadcast show “E! News” will end this year, concluding a run that began in 1991 but was interrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic, a source close to the situation said.
The person confirmed the plans to cancel the broadcast show to NBC News, after the news was reported earlier Thursday by Variety and other publications. Its final tape date will be Sept, 25. Employees were notified Thursday morning.
The entertainment network will remain online. “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily” will continue their broadcasts.
The broadcast show launched in 1991, but it was canceled in 2020 during the pandemic, which caused serious disruptions not only to the economy but also to studio shows. The broadcast show was brought back in 2022.
E! is owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News, but it will move along with other brands, including MSNBC and CNBC, to the Comcast spinoff Versant, Comcast has said.
Comcast announced its first board of directors for the planned spinoff Thursday.
The spinoff will include USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and others, Comcast said.
NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
On Thursday night, “E! News” host Keltie Knight posted a video to Instagram of her lip-syncing the lyrics “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and blonder and hotter,” from Megan Moroney’s song “6 Months Later.”
Former host Jason Kennedy said the news “stings.”
“Very talented humans lost their job in this frustrating and ever changing business we call television,” he wrote in a post on Instagram, calling it the “end of an era.”
Giuliana Rancic, a former “E! News” host, said anchoring the show for 20 years was her “dream job and the professional honor of a lifetime.”
“I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this pop culture phenomenon that aired in over 100 countries and allowed me to travel around the globe meeting the most amazing and loyal viewers,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to every single one of you for letting us into your homes every night.”
Samantha Cookinham contributed.
