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E! News is shutting down for the second time, and longtime anchor Jason Kennedy isn't afraid to share how he feels about it. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kennedy explained the personal impact of cancellation on him, calling it the demise of a very specific era of celebrity journalism. As per The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
"Things are sadly just so different these days, because of how television has shifted"
He continued,
"Not a lot of people come home and watch news anymore, especially on cable, because they can get it on social media.”
The final episodes of E! News will be airing through September 25, 2025, bringing to a close over three decades of reporting. First premiering in 1991, the program became a pop culture phenomenon for generations obsessed with Hollywood soap operas, red-carpet celebrity premieres, and iconic moments.
Today, as NBCUniversal reshuffles under the new entertainment umbrella Versant, the network confirmed the show's permanent cancellation, marking another shift in how audiences are viewing pop culture in the digital-first age.
Jason Kennedy reminisces about E! News' heyday
Jason Kennedy came on board E! News in 2005 as a weekend reporter and anchor before joining one of the series' frontrunners. In no time, he was a household name featured in millions of households, delivering the latest celebrity news in a professional but witty manner that became the brand's identity.
In his 2025 speech, Kennedy remembered his days during the height of the show and referred to the period of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears as "untouchable." As per The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
"There was that time, like 2008 to 2012 — the Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears era, going to Kitson on Robertson. It’s almost like an untouchable time in entertainment news, and I was just lucky to be a part of it."
He stated that celebrities were like superheroes at the time, with the observation that today's audience simply does not behave in the presence of fame the same way.
As Kennedy explains, E! News used to have something that no social media site can offer: formal, periodic reporting of celebrity life, sifted through experienced reporters and entertainment reporters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
"I think we did 48 hours of live coverage for Michael Jackson. I’ll never forget arriving at the scene at UCLA Medical Center after he died. Thousands of people showed up.”
But nowadays, in an age of Instagram updates 24/7 and real-time TikTok updates, audiences have upgraded to faster, more instant formats.
The revamped format and demise of E! News
This 2025 cancellation is not new for E! News. The show was previously canceled in 2020 amid the pandemic and declining ratings. It was later revived in 2022 with a revamped format and hosts in an attempt to appeal to digitally conscious viewers. Before it reached its final configuration, the show went daytime-only for 2019, only to switch back to a late-night run.
But for all those changes, it could never quite recapture that same cultural currency in an influencer-obsessed, celebrity-endorsed era. The new version of E! News was broadcast at 11 p.m., a slot that media critic Jason Kennedy and other analysts said was less optimal now that audiences have been conditioned to receive their entertainment news in real time.
Rather than watching at night, they scroll during the day. The consequence? A committed but diminishing base audience, too small to sustain nightly television programming.
Why Jason Kennedy thinks "things are just different"
Kennedy's reply goes beyond professional dismay. His sadness outlines a deeper truth about the current state of entertainment journalism. For Kennedy, E! News was part of a larger cultural rhythm, one in which fans turned to TV personalities to decipher, personalize, and even judge celebrity news. That rhythm is breaking down, he believes.
Specifically, Kennedy eschews deriding the digital shift. He realizes that audiences today crave authenticity and unmediated access more than mediated narrative. Nonetheless, he mourns the decline of something more: a shared experience, a unified voice, and a valued brand that guided audiences through the glamour and madness of Hollywood for decades.
NBCUniversal, Versant, and the future of the brand
Versant, NBCUniversal's fresh content unit tasked with refreshing timeless assets for today's world, has the final say on canceling E! News. The move is an element of a bigger shake-up aimed at prioritizing social interaction and live content delivery. With the shift, NBCUniversal said it would stop investing in linear, scheduled television for entertainment news, really putting E! News in the vault.
Kennedy embraced the corporate decision but had his sights on the personal meaning of the show. To him, E! News was not a career; it was part of his calling in life. His reflections also highlight how the very definition of "celebrity" has changed. It's no longer by a handful of broadcast outlets but by algorithms, going viral, and fans.
As E! News holds its breath for its final broadcast in September 2025, Jason Kennedy's words give a sincere and realistic view of what is lost. His words are not about resisting change but recognizing the end of something that once seemed larger than life.
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Though celebrity culture continues to thrive on the internet, the era of E! News, its labored glamour, and its smooth tale-making is officially over.
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