E! News Lays Off More Than 20 Staffers Amid New York Move (EXCLUSIVE)

By Elaine Low

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – In tandem with the announcement of E!’s expanded programming slate and decision to transform its nightly “E! News” show in Los Angeles to a morning show based in New York, the entertainment news outlet is laying off around 20-25 staff who worked on the nightly broadcast in Los Angeles.

“People are heartbroken because some of the staff have been on this show for a decade or longer,” said a source close to the situation. “There were a lot of red eyes today.”

Impacted employees were offered separation packages, though the company hopes to place those laid off in new available positions.

The outlet’s staff was pulled into a meeting late Tuesday morning with Tammy Filler, who was brought in in April to expand ’ coverage, according to the source.

E! is offering affected employees the opportunity to apply for positions associated with the new shows launching in 2020 in both Los Angeles and New York.

Additionally, “E! News” and “Access Hollywood” are slated to share a studio space and production services, though both programs will remain separate shows with different sets, editorial teams and branding, according to a separate source familiar with the situation. The production change will take effect this fall and the staff of “E! News” and “Access Hollywood” were informed of the shift a month or so ago.

The move follows this morning’s news that “Nightly Pop” will expand to four nights a week, while “Daily Pop” will remain on during weekdays at 12 p.m. ET/PT. The new formats being introduced next year include programs that have the working titles of “In the Room,” “Pop of the Morning,” and “BingE! Club.” There are also two additional celeb and pop culture commentary formats in the works.