After a decades-long run, the iconic entertainment news show “E! News” is coming to an end, and one of its most recognizable faces, Giuliana Rancic, is sharing her emotional reaction.
In an Instagram post, Giuliana Rancic, who also starred in other productions at the network, including her long-running reality series, “Giuliana & Bill,” called the decision to end the nightly news series the “#endofanera.”
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Giuliana Rancic Shares An Emotional Tribute To ‘E! News’ After The Network Canceled The Program
Rancic first joined the “E! News” staff in the early 2000s before working her way up to becoming one of the show’s main anchors in 2005.
Rancic reacted to the news that the series had been canceled with a post on social media, calling “E! News” her “second home” for “20 years.”
In the post, the 50-year-old television personality also reflected on how much the series meant to her both personally and professionally.
“As the show comes to an end, 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.
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Rancic continued, “Thank you to every single one of you for letting us into your homes every night. Anchoring E! News was my dream job and the professional honor of a lifetime.”
She finished the tribute, “#endofanera.”
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Fans React To Giuliana Rancic’s Heartfelt Post About ‘E! News’
Under her post, many “E! News” fans showered Rancic with love, with one user writing, “So many of us pursued careers in entertainment because of YOU and the mark you made at E! News. The best to ever do it. The true end of an era!”
Someone else wrote, “G the OG. Excellence personified.”
A third shared, “You were E! News, haven’t watched since you left, but definitely end of an era.”
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‘E! News’ Has Gone Through Many Changes Over The Years
During her initial run on the show, Rancic co-anchored “E! News” alongside “American Idol” star Ryan Seacrest, according to PEOPLE. After Seacrest left the show in April 2012, however, he was replaced by entertainment journalist Jason Kennedy.
Shortly after, Rancic herself stepped back from her daily anchor duties to focus on her family, which paved the way for Catt Sadler to join the cast.
After several format changes and a 2020 hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the show later returned with hosts Adrienne Bailon-Houghton and Justin Sylvester.
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Giuliana Rancic Faced Some Trouble At ‘E! News’
Rancic’s time on air, however, wasn’t always smooth sailing.
In 2015, Rancic came under fire for saying actress Zendaya smelled like “patchouli oil … or weed” while discussing the performer’s look on the Academy Awards red carpet.
The backlash was swift and fierce, with many calling for her removal from the network.
Rancic apologized on the air a day later, saying, “I want to say to Zendaya … that I am so sincerely sorry.”
She added, “This incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of cliches and stereotypes [and pay attention to] how much damage they can do.”
Just a few months later, in July 2015, she announced her departure from her daily role on “E! News,” saying she would “miss my family at the show.”
More Controversy Followed Two Years Later
And that wasn’t the only negative press surrounding “E! News” and its anchors.
In 2017, Sadler announced her departure from the network after learning her male counterpart, Kennedy, was reportedly making “double my salary … for several years.”
“That was really hard to swallow, but you know information is supposed to be power and when my team began negotiations knowing what we knew, that was the barometer in which I expected to be paid, based on the law and based on what I know to be fair. And what I believe in my heart of hearts is reasonable,” she said in a statement, reported by PEOPLE.
However, according to Sadler, the network “refused to pay me as much as my male counterpart” and “they didn’t even come remotely close” to making a comparable offer.
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“It’s almost insulting because you know you work really hard. I’m a single mom of two kids. I’ve given my all to this network. I’ve sacrificed time away from my family and I have dedicated my entire career to this network. And when you learn something like that, it makes you feel very small and underappreciated and undervalued,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
An E! spokesperson later commented on the reports and said, “E! compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender. We appreciate Catt Sadler’s many contributions at E! News and wish her all the best following her decision to leave the network.”
