''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'' executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently executive produced by Maureen FitzPatrick and directed by Richard Plotkin. In previous years, Doug Dougherty, Christopher A. Berry and Kim Anastasia directed the program. ''Access Hollywood'' primarily focuses on news in the

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, television, and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

industries.

History

''Access Hollywood'' has aired nationally on various local stations, most of them affiliates of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, in the United States since September 9, 1996. It was previously produced by NBC Studios and has changed distributors over the years, first with New World/Genesis Distribution, then

20th Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...

(after

News Corporation News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Ne ...

bought New World), followed by

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

who still distributes the show today via barter ad-sales, and then to NBC Enterprises when the network started up its own syndication division. Today,

NBCUniversal Television Distribution NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUnive ...

, in association with NBC's owned-and-operated station KNBC has been solely responsible for its production and distribution since 2004. Warner Bros. continues its involvement with the program by having responsibilities for barter ad sales for ''Access Hollywood''. On September 13, 2010, ''Access Hollywood'' began broadcasting in high definition. On May 1, 2012, NBCUniversal Television Distribution announced it would renew ''Access Hollywood'' for three additional years through the 2014–15 season.'Access Hollywood' Renewed for Three Years Amid Staff Pay Cuts (Exclusive)
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', May 1, 2012. The program changed its name to simply ''Access'' on December 11, 2017. On August 22, 2019, it was officially announced that ''Access'' and ''Access Live'' will receive an on-air refresh for their 24th and 10th seasons, respectively, with new names, logos, graphics and theme music, starting on September 9. ''Access'' returned to its original ''Access Hollywood'' name and begin airing live in the East Coast, with ''Access Live'' also rebranding as ''Access Daily''. The program would also debut a second spin-off in the fall entitled ''All Access''— which features long-form reports on true-crime and human interest stories and air initially on six NBC owned-and-operated stations. Former ''Extra'' host Mario Lopez also joined all three programs as co-host. On April 12, 2021, ''Access Hollywood'' and ''Access Daily'' renewed for a three additional seasons through 2025.

On-air staff

Current on-air staff

Anchors

Kit Hoover Catherine "Kit" Hoover (born July 29, 1970) is an American television host, sportscaster and broadcast journalist currently serving as the anchor of ''Access Hollywood'', and co-host of ''Access Daily with Mario & Kit''. She has worked as a sp ...

– anchor (2010–present) *

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on '' Saved by the Bell'', '' Saved by the Bell ...

– anchor (2019–present) * Scott Evans – anchor/weekend anchor (2019–present; previously served as senior correspondent from 2015 to 2019)

Correspondents

Zuri Hall Zuri Hall (born June 2, 1988) is an American entertainment reporter, television personality, actress and producer. Hall serves as a correspondent for ''Access Hollywood'' on NBC. She is also the sideline reporter for NBC's primetime summer comp ...

- correspondent (2019–present) * Jason Kennedy – * Sibley Scoles – weekend anchor/correspondent (2019–present) *

Tim Vincent Tim Vincent (born Timothy Russell Walker; 4 November 1972) is a Welsh actor and television presenter. He appeared on the children's programme ''Blue Peter'' between 1993 and 1997 and has presented several Miss World contests. For several years, ...

– European correspondent (2005–present)

Former on-air staff

Michelle Beadle Michelle Denise Beadle (born October 23, 1975) is an American sports reporter and host who is part of the San Antonio Spurs broadcast team. Beadle was formerly the co-host of the ESPN morning sports show '' Get Up!'' along with Jalen Rose and ...

– correspondent (2012–2014; later at

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

) *

Billy Bush William Hall Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of President George H. W. Bush and cousin of President George W. Bush and Florida governor Jeb Bush. After appearin ...

– correspondent (2001–2004), anchor/voice over/executive producer (2004–2016; later at NBC's ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'', now host of ''

Extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

'') * Steven "Cojo" Cojocaru – fashion correspondent (2000–2003, later at ''

'') *

Giselle Fernández Giselle Fernández (born May 15, 1961) is an American television journalist and anchor for Spectrum News 1. Her appearances on network television include reporting and guest anchoring for ''CBS Early Show'', ''CBS Evening News'', ''Today'', and ...

– weekday anchor/correspondent (1996–1999) * Liz Hernandez - correspondent (2014–2017) * Jill Martin - guest correspondent (2011–2013; now contributor on NBC News' weekday morning program ''

'') *

Larry Mendte Lawrence David Mendte (born January 16, 1957) is an American news anchor, commentator and radio talk show host. Mendte is currently hosting three TV shows, ''Jersey Matters'', ''The Delaware Way'', and ''Another Thing with Larry Mendte''. Mend ...

– weekday/weekend anchor (1996–1997, now a public-affairs host for two TV stations in the Northeast and a host at WABC) *

Maria Menounos Maria Menounos (, gr, Μαρία Μενούνος ; born June 8, 1978) is an American journalist, television presenter and actress. She has hosted '' Extra'' and ''E! News''; she was a TV correspondent for ''Today'', ''Access Hollywood'', and co ...

– correspondent (2005–2011; later at ''

'' and ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and primarily reports ...

'') * Natalie Morales – anchor (2016–2019; later at NBC News as ''Today'' west coast anchor and correspondent for ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...

'', now co-host of ''The Talk'') *

Nancy O'Dell Nancy O'Dell (born Nancy Evelyn Humphries; 1966) is an American television host and entertainment journalist. She served as co-anchor of the syndicated entertainment news show ''Entertainment Tonight'' from January 3, 2011, to August 2, 2019. E ...

– weekday/weekend anchor/correspondent (1996–2009, later at ''

'' and ''PEOPLE, The TV Show!'') *

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

– weekday/weekend anchor/correspondent (1997–2004, later at '' The Insider''; now co-host of

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

's entertainment variety program: ''

Hot Package ''Hot Package'' is an Adult Swim entertainment variety show, created by Derrick Beckles. The show parodies network entertainment shows such as '' Entertainment Tonight'' and ''Access Hollywood''. Instead of sourcing its news from real celebrities ...

'') * Amy Powell - correspondent (2013–2018) *

Jeff Probst Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ...

– correspondent (1996–1998; now host of '' Survivor'') *

Tony Potts Anthony "Tony" Ray Potts (born January 23, 1968) is an American Emmy-winning television personality, producer, writer and media executive. In front of the camera as a presenter, Potts hosted USA Hollywood entertainment show ''Access Hollywood'' ...

– weekend anchor/correspondent (1999–2011; now at

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

and HLN) *

Shaun Robinson Shaun Robinson (born July 12, 1962) is an American television host, author, producer, philanthropist, television personality and actress. She is perhaps best known for hosting ''Access Hollywood'' (1999–2015) and ''90 Day Fiancé'' and its spin ...

– weekend anchor/correspondent (1999–2015) * Liliana Vazquez - fashion correspondent (2015–2019; later co-anchor of ''

'')

Segments

*Access Hollywood Nation, which is a viewer's choice allowing a choice of which stories will be carried in the show. *In Case You Missed It, a recap of the previous night/weekend in pop culture, including film, television and music. *Watch This, suggestion segment of films and shows to watch by the show's correspondents and critics. *The Final 45, a closing credits segment with a quick rundown of the day's news. *Access Express, a segment matching the defunct ''Entertainment Tonight'' segment "Real or Rumor?" where stories are confirmed or debunked.

''Access Across America''

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, ''Access Hollywood'' went on a month-long roadtrip called ''Access Across America'' while the studio underwent a major overhaul. The show's new set was done in pastel colors with a modern flair, separating its look from other similar shows, including rival ''

''. The new look also included a brand-new graphics package. ''Access Hollywood'' was taped at Studio 1 at

The Burbank Studios The Burbank Studios (formerly known as NBC Studios) is a television production facility located in Burbank, California. The studio is home to ''Days of Our Lives'', ''Extra'', the '' IHeartRadio Theater'', and was formerly home to the Blizzard ...

(formerly NBC Studios) in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, former home of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

''. With ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'', it was one of two remaining NBC-produced programs as of 2014 originating from Burbank; On 2015 ''Access Hollywood'' moved to

Universal City, California Universal City is an unincorporated area within the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Approximately 415 acres (1.7 km) within and around the surrounding area is the property of Universal Picture ...

and

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusemen ...

as NBC's operations continued to combine in Universal City.

Spin-offs

The program has had some short-lived spin-offs in the last few years, including ''AMC Access'' for the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

channel, and ''Real Access'' (the first teen-oriented entertainment news program, and the only attempt so far at an entertainment news program aimed at teens on television) for

The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytim ...

and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

. The network most recently produced the African-American oriented ''TV One Access'' for the TV One cable channel. The programs formerly did entertainment segments for

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primari ...

's cable news channel titled ''Access

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

'', though these have been withdrawn as MSNBC's news coverage has become mainly political.

''Access Daily with Mario & Kit''

A spin-off of ''Access Hollywood'', called ''Access Hollywood Live'', debuted on September 13, 2010. The daytime talk show - currently hosted by

and

, features entertainment news stories and in-studio guests. The program was initially seen only on NBC owned-and-operated stations in six markets and

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

owned-and-operated stations in six other major markets, all on stations that already carry the flagship series; since September 2011, the program also began being distributed to non-network owned stations that also carry the flagship series. The show airs live at 11:00 am Eastern Time (8:00 am in Los Angeles where the studios are located). The show changed its name to ''Access Live'' on December 11, 2017, and again to ''Access Daily'' on September 9, 2019. In 2022, the show was renamed ''Access Daily with Mario & Kit'' and Evans was no longer a co-host but still with the show as a correspondent. ''Access Daily'' was originally recorded at

; it currently broadcasts from 10 Universal City Plaza in

, where it has been recorded since June 2015. On occasion, the program broadcasts shows on location outside Studio 1A on the

plaza at

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On May 1, 2012, along with ''Access Hollywood'''s renewal for three additional seasons, NBCUniversal Television Distribution announced it would give ''Access Hollywood Live'' a third season renewal for the 2012–13 season. On April 12, 2021, the show renewed for a three additional seasons through 2025.

''All Access''

A second spin-off, entitled, ''All Access'' premiered on September 9, 2019, and features long-form reports on true-crime and human interest stories and air initially on six NBC owned-and-operated stations. The show is hosted by

and Scott Evans with Sibley Scoles as correspondent. On October 2, 2019,

joined as co-host. On March 11, 2021, it was announced that the show was canceled and last episode would to air in June.

International versions & airings

In Canada,

Rogers Sports & Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...

Omni Television Omni Television (stylized as OMNI Television) is a Canadian television system and specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications. It currently consists of all six of Canada's conventional multicultural ...

airs the United States version of ''Access Live'' while Independent station

CHCH-DT CHCH-DT (channel 11) is an independent television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Channel Zero, the station maintains studios on Innovation Drive in the west end of Hamilton; prior to 2021, it was located near the corner of Jack ...

began airing the half hour weekday United States version in fall 2014;

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...

channel

CTV 2 CTV 2 is a Canadian English-language television system owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The system consists of four terrestrial owned-and-operated television stations (O&Os) in Ontario, one in British Columbia and two regional cab ...

used to air the half hour weekday United States version since fall 2011 but it was discontinued in 2013. The United Kingdom version began in 2003 hosted by

Kate Garraway Kathryn Mary Draper Garraway (born 4 May 1967) is an English broadcaster and journalist. In the 1990s, Garraway was a journalist for ITV News Central and later a co-presenter of ITV News Meridian. From 2000 to 2010, she co-presented GMTV. Cu ...

and Vincent. There was a short-lived national version for the Ireland on the channel previously named " Channel 6", hosted by Jenny Buckley from

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Spoofs

*The show was parodied in the show ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

'' in the special ''Arthur, It's Only Rock N' Roll'' when a spoof named ''Access Elwood'' interviewed the band U Stink. *In the ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' episode " Free Hat", a show airs called ''"Excess Hollywood"'' with a look-alike of then host Pat O'Brien. *The show is also parodied in the sitcom ''

BoJack Horseman ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated Black comedy, black Comedy drama, comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F ...

'' as "''Excess Hollywood''", later renamed to ''"Excess "'' after BoJack steals the D from the

Hollywood Sign The Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Originally the Hollywoodland Sign, it is situated on Mount Lee, in the Beachwood Canyon area of the Santa Monica Mountains. Spelling ...

. * Craig Ferguson often parodies ''Access Hollywood'' on ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...

'' in a segment called ''Access Extratainment Tonight'' (a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsThe Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...

'', the show is mentioned in an argument between

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and

Marge Simpson Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family, eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shor ...

. *In ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 14, 1999. In the episode, Homer becomes ...

", when (then) hosts Pat O'Brien & Nancy O'Dell guest star as hosts of ''Access Springfield''.

References

External links

AccessOnline.com
– Official Access Website
AccessOnline.com/Live
– Official Access Live Website * * {{U.S. daytime talk shows 1996 American television series debuts 1990s American television news shows 2000s American television news shows 2010s American television news shows 2020s American television news shows English-language television shows Entertainment news shows in the United States First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by Universal Television Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television series by New World Television Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows filmed in Los Angeles