Changes are underway at E! News.
The celebrity news program was canceled on Thursday, July 24, as the E! Network shifts its news strategy from linear television to the internet, Urban Hollywood 411 has confirmed.
Versant, the newly created parent company of NBCUniversal’s cable networks, informed employees of the cancellation earlier today.
Currently hosted by Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester, E! News airs Monday to Thursday at 11 p.m. An individual with knowledge of the situation said tonight’s broadcast was canceled. The show will resume next week, and run through Sept 25.
Some of the network’s on-air correspondents will move to other opportunities within Versant, the source said. It’s unclear where those roles will be or if producers, directors, photographers and editors will be invited to stay with the company.
With demand high for breaking showbiz news like all things related to Taylor Swift, reality star feuds, the Diddy case, and celebrity deaths — the show’s 11pm timeslot was too late to really be a player in the competitive entertainment news arena, especially when you can get the information in real-time through breaking news alerts and social media.
Related: Laverne Cox Exits E! Red Carpet Coverage Days Before Golden Globes
Related: E! Cancels New York-Based ‘E! News’ and ‘Pop of the Morning’
Related: Inside the Final Day of Production at ‘E! News’ in LA (Exclusive)
Still, E! has one of the most popular websites covering entertainment and pop culture. The brand also boasts more than 87 million followers across its social media platforms, the source said.
E! News launched in Los Angeles in 1991, offering celebrity interviews, exclusive coverage from Hollywood sets, and the latest in pop culture.
But under a shift in leadership in 2019, E! decided to change the format — from an hour-long evening broadcast in Los Angeles to a 30-minute morning show based in New York. The shift included a change in timeslot from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
About two dozen L.A. staffers who worked on the nightly broadcast lost their jobs amid the transition. At the time, Jason Kennedy and Giuliana Rancic hosted the L.A. broadcast.
Rancic announced on Instagram that she was leaving, while Kennedy stayed to host a short-lived celebrity interview show called In the Room.
New hosts Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Tweedie were brought in to be the faces of the revamped E! News. Vazquez was a contributor on NBC’s Today and a correspondent for Access Hollywood. Tweedie was a TV presenter in Australia.
But in August 2020 amid the coronavirus crisis, E! canceled the New York-based version of E! News and In the Room.
An E! spokesperson told us the changes were “definitely because of coronavirus,” adding that the network would shift its studio operations back to Los Angeles.
Longtime entertainment journalist Keltie Knight joined E! News as chief correspondent in November 2022.
In March 2024, she was promoted to co-host of the nightly entertainment news show alongside E!’s Daily Pop host Justin Sylvester.
Despite E! News going away this fall, the network’s popular red-carpet show Live from E! will continue, and E! will broadcast The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan 4.
Original E! network shows Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind and Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour will continue as well. The network also recently announced the new programs Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane and E!’s Dirty Rotten Scandals.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
About Anita Bennett
Anita Bennett is the editor and founder of Urban Hollywood 411. She can be reached on Twitter @tvanita.
You may like these posts
