“Access Hollywood,” NBCUniversal’s syndicated entertainment news program, underwent layoffs today tied to the cancellation of “E! News,” TheWrap has learned.
While the total number of affected employees remains unclear, an individual with knowledge of the layoffs told TheWrap the cuts included some roles among the stage and technical crew and are said to be related to the shuttering of “E! News,” which aired it’s final episode on Thursday night as the E! Network heads to Versant.
“E! News,” “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily” all operated out of Terrace Studios in Universal City, California and the programs shared resources. With the lineup reduced from three shows to two, certain stage and technical crew positions were cut as part of cost-saving measures, leading to the layoffs.
The conclusion of “E! News” came three months after it was originally announced that E! planned to bring the nightly news show, which launched in 1991, to an end in anticipation of the network’s move to Versant. The decision was made as part of E!’s ongoing efforts to focus more on cementing its place as a pop culture news destination spanning multiple platforms, including social media. It was announced that some E! News linear correspondents will move over to Versant, though there have been no confirmed decisions as of yet.
While “E! News” has concluded as a linear show, E! News Digital is still in operation.
Most of the staffers who were affected by the layoffs allegedly worked across all three shows. “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily” will continued to operate out of Terrace Studios.
