“I’m surprised it was still on the air as of yesterday”: Former E! News host speaks out after series cancellation after three decades
After more than three decades on air, E! News is coming to an end.
The entertainment news program, currently hosted by Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester, will air its final episode on Sept. 25, according to employees who were informed of the decision on July 24.
The brand isn’t disappearing entirely, however.
E! News will continue in digital form through its website and social media channels, however. On TV, E! will still air Live from E! red carpet coverage and original programming.
Former host weighs in: 'I'm not surprised'
While fans processed the news, former E! News host Lilliana Vazquez took to TikTok to share her “hot take” on the situation.
“I keep getting this question sent to me … are you shocked? No,” she said. “Of course, I’m not shocked that E! News was canceled after 34 years. I’m surprised it was still on the air as of yesterday.”
Vazquez, who co-hosted the show with Scott Tweedie, explained that she joined the program in December 2019 when it moved to New York and briefly aired live.
“The only reason I took the job is because E! News was going to be live,” she adds, calling live hosting “the TV Olympics.”
But when the show reverted to a taped format, she felt the format couldn’t keep up with how people consume entertainment news today. “By the time a story gets put on E! News at 11:30 p.m., the story is dead,” she says, adding that TikTok and Instagram now dominate the conversation in real time.
Entertainment news as a PR vehicle
She also spoke candidly about the network’s editorial process.
“Entertainment news shows are, in fact, operatives of PR machines,” Vazquez adds, describing how publicists and managers often influenced how stories were covered.
@thelillianavazquez They cancelled E!News... Are you really surprised????? Here's my hot take and I'm not holding back. #enews #cancelled #nbc ♬ original sound - ًLilliana
While she acknowledged the talent of Knight and Sylvester, Vazquez said the cancellation came down to larger issues with the format.
“This isn’t about the hosts. It’s about the identity of the show,” she says.
She continues, “It’s about the production. It’s about relevancy.”
Fans react to the end of an era
The announcement sparked plenty of conversation online.
On Reddit’s r/television, one user wrote, “I wonder what network TV’s gonna look like in 5 or 10 years? Maybe just a bunch of cheap reality shows and reruns?”
Over on X, another person joked, “I’m gonna be so honest I did not know it was possible to cancel e! News, I thought it just existed like the wind or the grass or the inevitability of death.”
“How tf they cancel E News???” asked another X user. “What else is on the network atp?”
Under Vazquez’s video, the reaction was somewhat different. Users seem to have seen this coming.
“Very true, they must evolve,” one viewer commented. “With TikTok and other platforms, everyone has a voice.”
Another added: “We get our entertainment news on social media! Who watches TV anymore?!”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Vazquez for comment.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post “I’m surprised it was still on the air as of yesterday”: Former E! News host speaks out after series cancellation after three decades appeared first on The Daily Dot.