“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.

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.

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