Access Hollywood, the legendary entertainment talk show starring hosts Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover, has been canceled after nearly 30 years.
NBCUniversal announced they will be ‘winding down production’ on Access Hollywood and several other programs in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Since September 1996, Access Hollywood has been providing entertainment news to the masses with big names such as Billy Bush, Maria Menounos, and Natalie Morales serving as correspondents over the years.
Now after 29 years, the series is set to end later this year. Production will continue over the summer before it officially wraps up.
‘NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,’ the Chairman of Bravo & Peacock unscripted for NBCUniversal, Frances Berwick, said.
‘The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows.
Access Hollywood, the legendary entertainment talk show starring hosts Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover, has been canceled after nearly 30 years
Since 1996, Access Hollywood had been providing entertainment news to the masses
‘These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.’
Access Hollywood currently stars four hosts – Lopez, Hoover, Scott Evans and Zuri Hall.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Lopez, Hoover, Hall, and Evans for comment.
Access Hollywood isn’t the only show to make the chopping block.
In total, four shows have been canceled – Access Live, Karamo, and The Steve Wilkos Show.
Queer Eye alum Karamo Brown has been hosting his eponymous show since 2022 while The Steve Wilkos Show – which stars Jerry Springer’s former security guard – has been airing since 2007.
Both Karamo and The Steve Wilkos Show are produced at NBCUniversal’s Stamford Studios in Stamford, Connecticut, according to THR.
The building will be vacated by NBCU later this year.
Production on Karamo and The Steve Wilkos Show has since ended and new episodes will air during summer.
Access Hollywood currently stars four hosts – Lopez, Hoover, Zuri Hall and Scott Evans
Hoover and Lopez hosting Access Daily back in 2019
The syndicated studio model is no longer considered sustainable by NBCUniversal, with local television studios now leaning towards local, national news, and ‘community-focused programming select national franchises,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The cancellations also reflect the current climate of talk shows – programs that have been hit with higher costs, competition from different platforms, and dwindling demand.
NBCUniversal struck a more optimistic tone when it renewed Access Hollywood throughout 2026.
‘We’re thrilled to continue our successful partnership with the NBC-owned stations, bringing the ‘Access’ brand to local stations for additional seasons,’ Tracie Wilson, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! New, said in a statement obtained by Deadline back in 2024.
‘Our talented hosts have incredible chemistry and our seasoned production team work tirelessly to bring viewers quality content each day on Access Hollywood and Access Daily.’
At the time, Deadline reported that the show had earned an average of 1.1 million viewers daily during it’s 2023-2024 season.
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Access Hollywood canceled as show starring Mario Lopez set to end after nearly 30 years