Actor and comedian has hosted clip show for 12 years
Joe Otterson | November 18, 2015 @ 11:12 AM
Last Updated: November 18, 2015 @ 11:53 AM
Joel McHale
Joel McHale is ending his run on the E! clip show “The Soup,” TheWrap has learned.
McHale has hosted and produced the show for the past 12 years, while also appearing in films like “Spider Man 2” and “Ted.” He also starred on “Community” for NBC, before the show was picked up by Yahoo for one season.
Greg Kinnear was the original host of the show when it launched as “Talk Soup” in 1991. Hal Sparks and Aisha Tyler also both briefly hosted the show before McHale took over in 2004. His last episode will be on Dec. 18.
McHale is set to appear in an arc on the rebooted version of “The X-Files” on Fox as Tad O’Malley, which is set to premiere on Jan. 24.
“The Soup” has aired 3,324 episodes to date, and recently earned a 2014 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. McHale scored Best Host in the 2015 Adweek Watch Awards.
New episodes will air Fridays at 10 p.m./9c until McHale signs off for the last time. Fans will have a chance to say goodbye to their favorite characters from the show, including Mankini, Lou the Chihuahua, and the floating talk show heads in the “Chat Stew” graphic.
“We are incredibly proud of the long-running success of ‘The Soup,” Jeff Olde, executive vice president of programming and development for E! said. “‘The Soup’ has delivered countless laughs and unforgettable episodes, and we are grateful to the talented team’s fearless wit and clever approach week after week.”
13 of E! Hits and Misses (Photos)
HIT: "Fashion Police" has been one of the network's most consistent hits, but the show's future is now uncertain due to the death of founder and marquee co-host Joan Rivers on Sept. 4
NBC
HIT and MISS: "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" was created well before Suzanne Kolb took the reins at E! and the reality show continued its run after nine seasons, despite declining ratings.
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MISS: "The Wanted Life," starring Britain's other boy band The Wanted, ran for 7 episodes in 2013.
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MISS: "Scouted" was a reality show about the modeling industry that premiered a few months after Kolb took over in 2011 and was never picked up for a second season.
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HIT and MISS: "Khloe & Lamar" is a "KUWtK" spin-off based around Khloe Kardashian and her basketball-playing husband Lamar Odom. It ran for two seasons and finished shortly before the couple divorced.
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MISS: "Kendra," starring Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson ran for 4 seasons. It began well before Kolb started, but took a ratings hit after she took over.
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MISS: E! cancelled Ross Mathews' late night show "Hello Ross" after only 26 episodes over two short seasons
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MISS: "Ice Loves Coco," starring rapper Ice T and his wife Coco Austin, ended in 2012 after an awful season of ratings.
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MISS: "Chasing The Saturdays" followed a girl band E! hoped would be this generation's answer to the Spice Girls, but not very many people tuned in.
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HIT and MISS: "Total Divas" kicked off its third season in early Sept., but recent ratings have been less than stellar.
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MISS: "Chelsea Lately" ran for 7 seasons, but Chelsea Handler and E! had a messy split in Aug. 2014.
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MISS: "Mrs. Eastwood and Company," based around actor Clint Eastwood's wife and family, aired for only 10 episodes in 2012.
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MISS: E! rebranded itself with the tagline "Pop of Culture" in 2012 to mixed results.
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Suzanne Kolb confirmed her departure from E! in a staff email Tuesday after serving as network president since 2011. TheWrap takes a look back at some programming wins and losses
HIT: "Fashion Police" has been one of the network's most consistent hits, but the show's future is now uncertain due to the death of founder and marquee co-host Joan Rivers on Sept. 4
