Once-iconic celebrity TV show that starred Joan Rivers is canceled amid tanking ratings
Versant, the NBCUniversal spinoff company that oversees E! and several other Comcast cable networks, will officially pull the plug on the show on September 25 after 32 years.
The show - currently hosted by Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester - aired as a repeat on Thursday. New episodes are set to resume next week.
E! News has featured a number of high-profile hosts and contributors through years, including Joan Rivers and Ryan Seacrest.
The show was rejiggered as a late-night broadcast three years ago after a two-year hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. It formerly aired during primetime for a full hour.
The linear TV landscape has changed immensely since then, with viewership on traditional broadcast networks and cable channels in the midst of a major decline.
The cancelation of E News! marks the first major decision from Versant since it was created a few months ago.
The brand isn't going away completely, as E! News will now focus on digital content and social media.
Network executives reportedly told E! News staffers viewership habits have changed while delivering the news Thursday.
They said that today's audience prefers real-time pop culture coverage on platforms like Instagram and TikTok in lieu of the usual nightly wraps.
A source told AdWeek that the show's 11pm time slot 'no longer serves pop culture fans that prefer real-time coverage throughout the day.'
The person said other opportunities are currently being explored for employees at the show, including at Versant channels such as CNBC, MSNBC, Syfy, the USA Network, and Oxygen.
Several on-air correspondents were told that they will transition to yet-to-be-determined roles in the company, sources told Variety.
E!, the linear network, will continue to air original series like Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind and Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour, they said.
Upcoming series like Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane and E!'s Dirty Rotten Scandals will also stick around.
New episodes of E! News will continued to run nightly until September.
Current E! News co-host Sylvester, 38, has become a surprise fan-favorite following several appearances on Today With Jenna & Friends as a fill-in host for Hoda Kotb earlier this year.
Neither Sylvester nor Knight, 43, have spoken on the cancellation. Knight was previously the show's chief correspondent but was promoted in March 2024.
Former hosts of E! News have included Ryan Seacrest, Giuliana Rancic, Jason Kennedy, Catt Sadler, Scott Tweedie, and Steve Kmetko.
Rivers - who died in 2014 aged 81 - was a prominent figure at E!, oftentimes appearing on the red carpet for E! News.
She was known for her role on the show Fashion Police, which she co-created after joining E! in the mid-1990s and co-hosted with her daughter Melissa.
Fashion Police aired its final episode with Melissa as host in 2017. The mother-daughter duo became fixtures at the network through their regular red carpet coverage.
E! saw some impressive growth in January on digital platforms like Instagram, were video views up 49 percent and TikTok views up 52 percent. The network has roughly 87million social media followers.
The network will continue to be represented on red carpets with 'Live With E!'.
The Critics Choice Awards will also still air on the network this January, executives said.
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