After Joan Rivers passed last fall, E! really scrambled to get Fashion Police back together in time for awards season. They hired Kathy Griffin in Joan’s place, but it’s clear that Kathy wasn’t comfortable with the show’s format or content. Since quitting Fashion Police late last week, Kathy has said, in so many different ways, that the show hasn’t changed with the times and that the jokes are rude without being topical or funny. Of course Kelly Osbourne quit before Kathy did, citing the joke that Giuliana Rancic made (and for which she apologized) about Zendaya’s dreadlocks. Kathy has said that she didn’t know ahead of time that Kelly was leaving, and that Giuliana was just reciting a line that was written for her.
There are only two panelists left on the show, Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski. Fashion Police was scheduled to return at the end of this month, but it’s been shelved until September. The President of NBCUniversal Lifestyle Networks Group, Frances Berwick, told The Hollywood Reporter that while they weren’t surprised by Kathy Griffin’s exit, they were not prepared for her criticism. They’re taking it seriously though, to the point where Fashion Police will be taken off the air until they have time to regroup. Here’s more, from The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that E! will put Fashion Police on an extended hiatus. The three remaining episodes scheduled to shoot this spring will be scrapped, giving the team time to recast and reboot. The new plan is to return in the fall with six or seven episodes tied to major events, including the Emmys.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we definitely brought it back too soon,” says Berwick, who added E! to her portfolio mere weeks after Rivers’ September death. In the months since, she has had to deal with a barrage of controversies, including backlash to the network’s “mani cam” feature on red carpets (Julianne Moore called it “humiliating” and other stars refused to participate) and an #AskHerMore Twitter campaign against fashion-focused interviews. In addition, there’s the will-they-or-won’t-they Bruce Jenner transgender docuseries (insiders say they will) and the Fashion Police fallout that began when Rancic suggested singer Zendaya’s dreadlocks “smelled like patchouli oil … or weed” on the show’s post-Oscars telecast. The controversies come as NBCUniversal cable chief Bonnie Hammer has said she wants E! to take a more “aspirational” tone, and they highlight a subtle shift in celebrity culture and E!’s role in what The New York Times called on March 15 its “untenable setup that one day reveres celebrities on the red carpet and the next day marches them onto a gangplank and pushes them into the water.”
Berwick says she and her team, along with Fashion Police executive producer Melissa Rivers, considered canceling the show in the wake of the departures. But ultimately they concluded they weren’t willing to give up on the 5-year-old franchise, and its nearly 1 million loyal viewers (though the show has shed viewers without Joan Rivers). “There was a lot of noise and drama that are really not helpful or additive to the creative process, but there’s a real love for this show,” explains Berwick, who adds with a laugh, “Given the focus on this, the ratings should really be the size of The Walking Dead…”
Still, the E! executives acknowledge that they have heard the criticism and are assessing the tone of the network’s red-carpet coverage. “You want to be evolving with the times, and we are really taking the mani-cam question very seriously,” says Berwick, who notes that the latter started as a “cute” thing. “If people don’t want to do it, they shouldn’t be forced to do it.” (The network did not incorporate the manicure camera into its Oscars preshow telecast.)
At the same time, she also suggests that E! has become a target for the entire awards-season charade, which seems to get bigger each year. “There’s a lot that’s frivolous about the whole Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe parade, and then at the heart of it, there’s some great, creative work,” Berwick continues. “E! is not a network that takes itself seriously.” She cites The Soup host Joel McHale and his weekly lampooning of TV stars, including E!’s own Kardashian family.
“To the extent that this has all gotten very intense and serious — it’s meant to be fun,” she says. “When it stops being fun or if we think that we’re offending or crossing a line, absolutely, that’s the time to re-evaluate and that’s what we’re doing, frankly, with things like the mani cam.”
I agree that E! is an easy target and that it’s not always fair. They got rid of the mani cam when actresses objected, and they’re trying to change. They’re also the one of the few networks to really dare to call out the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. I hope they don’t touch The Soup at all.
Fashion Police is fun, but maybe it’s time to change the format. It’s not the same without Joan, and I respect that they didn’t just throw a Kardashian or two on there and carry on. There is definitely a call for fashion assessment and commentary. The #AskHerMore campaign seems to ignore the fact that the red carpet is all about fashion and jewelry. The actresses do so many interviews prior to an event, they have plenty of time to discuss their projects and just a few opportunities to talk fashion. It’s not about diminishing the women, it’s about acknowledging the work that went into their looks. Sometimes all that work adds up to a hill of beans, and someone’s got to say it.
photo credit: WENN.com and Getty Images
The mani-cam was eliminated because Elizabeth Moss took the opportunity to give the finger to the camera.
Really? She just went up a notch in my book. I also liked it when Cate Blanchett called them out when they were panning her up & down and she asked if they do that to the men.
I’m a big Cate Blanchett fan, but her whole reactions to the camera and the questions make her sound like a hypocrite. Because they DO do that to men, when they’re wearing something interesting or different or very high profile. Blanchett and others stand on the red carpet in thousands and thousands of dollars in borrowed jewels and couture, they should acknowledge the houses and companies that give them this stuff for free. It’s a trade-off. Part of Blanchett’s fame is centered around her being a fashion icon, and that’s all stuff she gets for free. Generally speaking, men’s formal wardrobes are similar and can be boring-there’s only so many ways you can re-do a tuxedo.
I do think there’s a lot wrong with the red carpet-they shouldn’t ask about diets or eating habits, and I hate all the questions about how hard it is to balance work and family (those are questions the men never get), but honestly, I’m only watching the red carpet to find out what you’re wearing-tell me.
There is such a fine line on the red carpet between promoting the fashion and infantilizing the women. “Who are you wearing?” – great. “Give us a twirl” – not so great. I don’t mind Blanchett asking whether or not the men get the same questions, simply because it’s a great reminder.
Melissa Rivers essentially rode her mom’s coattails. She’s not particularly funny on her own, the Fashion Police schtick was really Joan’s with her daughter along for the ride.
I find it interesting that E! wants to change the tone to more ‘aspirational’ when the network is about as low-rent as it gets. For goodness sake, they’re thinking about adding Khloe Kardashian to their red carpet lineup. That’s about as tacky as you can get.
ETA: the Melissa Rivers response was supposed to be at the post below. Oops, I’m tired.
I know all feminists are applauding this…but men don’t wear gowns that have details all the way down to the train. Just a fact.
Haha. Good for her. You know….in all of this…the elephant in the room is Melissa Rivers. I wonder what her thoughts are on all of this? Joan and Kathy were very, very close; I wonder if there is a riff between Melissa and Kathy now because it seems like there would be. Is Melissa not a great producer and were her producing credentials merely vanity projects courtesy of her then-living mother? It will be interesting to see the direction of this show and Melissa’s feelings on all of this.
It seems as if there has been a sea-change of sorts over the past year. With Joan’s sudden passing or perhaps preceding it, the whole body-shaming, women-are-more-than-they-wear-and-look mindset has truly taken hold. I read an interesting story yesterday about the future direction of E! programming from one of fashion/criticism/celebrity to something more aspirational like a bedazzled version of OWN. We shall see how this speculation pans out.
Melissa was there solely at the grace of her mother. On her own she isn’t particularly funny/talented/interesting (harsh, I know).
Red carpet coverage has changed as more an more outlets do it – TV, print, blogs – and yet FP (and E!) has stayed the same. It’s interesting to think about how it could change, as almost all of its programming (aside from The Soup, which is an outlier) is aimed squarely at 12-25 year old women, who certainly don’t fit into that aspirational bracket.
Really, the show needed to end with Joan’s passing, IMO.
Thank god thta’s over with. awful sh^t. If they bring it back at all, it should only be a special for the big award shows. No one needs to be subjected to Rancic and Brad. Unbearable.
Agreed. I’m just so glad Kelly is gone. That girl is a skank, and most of the women they have as guests are D list skanks. Good riddance to that show.
Such a fuss over such a minor thing. Talk about blowing things out of proportion. When did everyone become so overly sensitive? They should have just cancelled the show after Joan passed. She WAS the show.
I agree. Too much pressure was put on this little show these past few months… although, I was surprised that Kathy wanted to burn the village down on her way out. I just think this behavior by her and Kelly has been really disrespectful to Melissa.
I sorta agree with you. Also, I think this is more of a reflection of the disdain for Rancic amongst her peers than Melissa.
“…..I was surprised that Kathy wanted to burn the village down on her way out….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wasn’t. At all. That is Kathy’s go to thing. The whole “burn it all downnnnn”. She has always acted this way when something she is a part of… ends.
I suspect she knew they were going to cut her loose. So in return she abruptly quits. Screams about how disrespectful it all was and how she is the beacon of Feminism. All on twitter. So E! was blind sided.
No one ever said, Kathy was dumb. But she does not know how not to burn every last bridge, when she leaves. And she just publicly sh*t all over Melissa Rivers too.
The same person, whose butt she had been kissing to get the job to begin with.
I do wonder whose butt she is currently kissing… because she has always wanted a permanent hosting seat on “The View”.
And with Barbara retired… Kathy must be stalking those producers like it is her full time job.
I would just like to insert here that I can’t stand Kathy Griffin.
This. Rancic’s comment on Zendaya’s hair was dumb, but much, MUCH worse things have been said on TV. This is ridiculous.
Context is everything. She said it about a very young actress during Black History Month, and that particular actress has family who wear their hair in a related style (I’ve seen her dad, he wears his hair in short locs; Zendaya mentioned him and other family members in her response). And G. was repeatedly told during rehearsal that the “joke” was very offensive and inappropriate, but she ignored the warning. I think that’s a sign that the show really does need to go on hiatus, they need to rethink a few things and beef up their research department…. And buy a calendar.
So what if worse has been said. Shall we also not prosecute pickpockets because, you know bank robbers exist? E should have moved swiftly to sack the “joke” writer and the producer that ok’d it. Instead they twiddled their thumbs and their two biggest hosts walked away. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer network.
And all over fake, mono fiber “dreds”. Please.
Thank God someone is taking the mani-cam question seriously! I simply could not get a wink of sleep last night for worrying about the mani-cam question. I mean, I know people drone on about the nuclear question and global warming question and yadayadayada but the mani-cam question has not gotten the attention it deserves. Go E! Said no one.
Hahhaha, the awesomeness in this comment.
And today, GNAT, you have won the Internet with that comment!
Hahaha. Thank you GNAT.
Perfect!
Can we just cancel the channel/network as a whole? The whole thing is so toxic, and so misogynistic.
No. The Soup and reruns of Sex and the City come on E.
Oh YES PLEASE!!!! (claps hands and jumps up and down)
This actually surprises me, in a good way. I think there is a way to call out bad looks and styling without inappropriate attacks. But the one thing that has galled me the most is the “panel” who often look like holy hell on the red carpet themselves. Like – who is Kelly Osborn to be talking about anyone’s style? Joan made as much fun of herself as she did others, and I think the fawning all over the celebrities on the carpet only to skewer them the next day started to get very stale.
Yeah, I think the show was fun to watch at first, when it organically became a go-to place to see the fashions from the night before. It didn’t take itself so seriously. But then it evolved to include so much contrived schtick, while at the same time much better fashion blogs and critics emerged online. Kelly Osbourne trying to pass herself off as some kind of industry expert on fashion drove me nuts. It seems like its time passed a while ago, even before Joan’s passing.
Irreverent is funny- catty is NOT. Joan could pull off irreverence because she’s an iconic female comedienne, the rest of the panel come off as haters. That’s all.
Good call. I watched on occasion when Joan was alive but it was never must see TV. The final nail, for me, was when GR offered the Clooney ‘s a shot of alcohol, complimented The Gloves, then went on a tirade about how ugly they were. Then the weed thing, ugh. Get some real fashion people to discuss these things, please!
I think GR was the inspiration for the movie Mean Girls. She reminds me of Regina George.
Off Topic, Veronica, but I love your username. I’m obsessed with Elvis Costello!
Thanks! That’s where the name comes from!
The Soup is sacred; it’s the only thing I watch on E and they better not mess with it!
+1
I liked it when Joan was on the red carpets. She said what a lot of people had been saying from their couches at home for years! I can remember back in the day seeing celebs walk into the Oscars and thinking “they can afford pretty much any gown in the world, why are they wearing something that looks like a Dollar Tree shower curtain?” When Joan started commenting on the clothes, they got SO MUCH BETTER. Now that people have hired stylists (or maybe just bought full length mirrors and quit dressing in the dark) it’s time for the sun to set on FP.
It was an annual enjoyable ritual at our house to sit down to the deplorable Oscar fashion. There were prizes (betting in a different form) for correct predictions of awfulness. It made the occasional good outfit that more enjoyable. I learnt so much about real life styling and fashion – we also avidly watched videos of runway shows sent by an aunt who worked in fashion. I miss Cher at the Oscars. Le sigh.
It’s one thing to have a stylist, but they all dress the same. It’s a variation of a mermaid dress and statement jewels with no personality or memorability.
I still remember Sharon stone’s gap t-shirt and coat over a non-descript skirt or the following year when she wore a man’s shirt with a duchess satin skirt.
When Courtney love showed up in Versace one year, then ragged ann torn lingerie-esque nightdress with her besties Drew and Amanda de Cadenet the following year.
Or SJP in a mini dress that is still amazing wherever you are.
Then there was the year AJ showed up in a white trouser suit, then Celine Dion copied her the following year except she wore her’s backwards…..why celine why?
Le sigh.
Oh well, we’ll always have bjork and her egg purse laying swan dress.
I never did get why Rancic was on the show, or television for that matter. She contributes nothing positive.
I think the show has run its course even if it tries to return in Sept. Its done and I am pleased.
I think I am the only one who liked the mani-cam? I love manicures/nail polish.
I really think actresses need to stop huffing the “who are you wearing” question if they want to get free dresses and jewels.
You’re missing the point (deliberately?) of #Askhermore. It’s not to get rid of the fashion and jewellery questions, it’s to ask more than just that. They don’t just ask the men what suit they’re wearing.
Except I’ve never seen an interview where the women ONLY got questioned about the designer outfit they were wearing. If it happens, its rare to me. Generally its a question or two about the outfit and then its something like “What was it like to work with ____” and then generally time has run out and they move on to the next person.
Oh I have. Most of the questions for actresses are, “Who are wearing?” followed by, “How many dresses did you try on/how long did it take to get ready/how hungry are you?” Occasionally, if someone has a really high profile project on the horizon, maybe they’ll get asked about that. Or maybe they’ll be asked about their significant other or the child they’re percolating/recently had. The ratio of questions for actresses, to me, is like three questions about clothes/body/diet, one question about career/family.
The #AskHerMore thing is a little problematic because if the celebrities stop name-checking the designers, they’ll stop getting free things to wear on the red carpet, and they won’t want that. I think the way to #AskHerMore is to say, “Who are you wearing?” and then move onto the career question. Don’t ask about diet or how long it took to get ready or how un/comfortable the garment is. Just name-check the designer off the top and move on.
It felt a bit like certain celebs didn’t get that memo either – those Oscars carpet interviews with Reese and Kerry looked so uncomfortable. They’d very clearly forbidden the entire “what are you wearing” question.
Thank you. Those who keep criticizing it keep ignoring the MORE part of it. The fashion is certainly part of it and should be discussed, but the ENTIRE focus of the interviews should not be on the woman’s appearance, body, diet, undergarments, etc.
It shouldn’t, that’s true, but a lot of the #AskHerMore stuff I noticed on Oscar night didn’t include the fashion stuff at all. Tom Ford said something kind of bitchy about all the time/labor put into making multiple dresses for someone and then not having it mentioned and that that’s not how the deal works. iirc, Reese Witherspoon wore Tom Ford to the Oscars, and she was one of the ones who didn’t want to talk about her dress. If they keep pushing the issue, I foresee some designers yanking their support from certain celebrities. I bet this ends up like the #pedorazzi thing, it’ll be a tempest in a teacup but then it will quietly go away when it begins to threaten the greater celebrity ecosystem.
That was indeed Reese in the Tom Ford. And she was one of the folks who specifically banned the clothing talk on her RC interviews – so she’s actually the one who forgot the “more” part.
And I’ll be honest: I don’t really want to hear these folks give their opinions on world issues or more about whatever they’re working on next. They”re famous for bringing OTHER PEOPLE’S words to life. If they’re not doing the insipid twirling and mani-cam then I’m fine.
There’s not a lot of interesting things to ask actors anyway – really, who CARES about their character motivations, how they trained, etc.? I wanted to see gorgeous gowns and jewels and fantastic make up jobs. Talk shows are for #askhermore – red carpets are to look amazing. #shutyerpiehole
I know right, Pandy?? I’m there to see your fashion and jewelry. You don’t want to talk about it?? Fashion isn’t important? Then come wearing the same gown you wore to another event or recycle your Oscars gown from 5 years ago….then we’d really know fashion wasn’t an issue.
As for wanting to talk about more….like what? How you read extra notes about the character? How you cut your hair to fit into the role? What was your motivation?? Here’s the thing….you’re actors. Not doctors or engineers. You’re acting and not saving the world (Except for La Jolie!). Be professional and take this as part of your job. God knows you’re getting paid millions for it!
The only time I ever watched Fashion Police was during award shows seasons. Maybe it should just stick to that.
And A) Kathy seems like a hypocrite to me. You had to know EXACTLY what the show was like when you signed on. And Kelly too. You cant act shocked that the show is mean when you participated yourself on it. And when Joan said stuff that was EVEN WORSE at times.
I’m a teensy bit over Cate Blanchett. There I said it.
And FP was over the moment poor Joan passed. It was worth it to overlook vapid fools like Kelly Osborne and the rest of them as long as the payoff was Joan. Without her there’s zero reason to watch the show.
I’m a teensy bit over all of the out of touch celebrities whining about gender inequality in Hollywood when there sis actual gender inequality in the world. The kind that keeps women from driving, voting, holding property, allows them to be raped and then cast off by their families, keeping single mothers from being able to care for and provide for their children, etc.
Gender inequality in Hollywood actually does have a place in the real world, though. Arts and entertainment are supposed to reflect society and its values – what does it say when it’s made primarily for and by men? The arts can help shape public consciousness, and equality within the arts is incredibly important.
Maybe this will give Rancic a chance to deal with her eating disorder now. As for the show, I watched it once and loathed it – I thought it was vicious, childish and puerile.
She does look ill in those pictures with Kathy griffin.
The amount of attention this stupid show is receiving right now is ridiculous.
Let it end now that Joan is gone, or reboot it in a totally different way. If they want a fashion show, get some actual fashion experts, review red carpets but maybe also the stuff being featured in magazines, or runways, or other trends. Have designers come on to talk about their work, etc.
But here’s the thing: the celebs engage when they dress up to the nines, each commandeering a designer, and doing the whole red carpet thing. They create an industry that is about one-upping other women in the glamour stakes, because it gets them newspaper coverage, which keeps them relevant and gets them work. Women and men do it, and they all play the game. It seems that what E/Fashion Police does is force them to recognize that they are playing a game, and celebrities don’t like that. I get the gender inequality, but it seems a little bit of a double standard to want the praise, exclusive free dresses and jewelry, and media coverage, then complain that people ask them to work for it. If you don’t want to be objectified, skip the red carpet, or don’t fight for the Tom Ford custom dress.
Exactly!!! Couldn’t have put it any better. #shutyerpiehole
That is it, absolutely. + + +
I feel like they just want to go back to the time when the normies didn’t realize what a machine it is, when people thought they just popped into the first thing they tried on and didn’t know that they’re getting thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in free styling and clothes.
This is all just a smoke screen. I don’t see them overhauling this budget show. What they’re doing is disappearing until the storm blows over. When they do come back, there most likely with be a Kardashian or two on the show and it will continue to be as low brow as it ever was.
Kathy Griffin has never been considerate or sensitive in her routines. Seems to me the only reason she “took the high road” is because she saw the ship was sinking and she jumped off in an effort to appear better than the rest. She’s not. She got a lot of publicity for it and now people think she’s some kind of culturally sensitive politically correct figure. Give me a break. She is not anybody to be crying about political correctness. She is a hypocrate looking for attention and she got it.
Totally agree with this comment. Then reality was, Kathy wasn’t funny and snarky the way Joan was, and it was very awkward trying to watch her fill those shoes. She’s full of it when she says she doesn’t want to be mean. I call BS.
It was a bad fit, and she’s fleeing because of it. Yes, the writing stunk and she was clearly uncomfortable, but she certainly went for the jugular when she quit. But there’s no doubt that we’ll find out the rest of the details since she’s not one to hold back. Personally I’ve never really felt like she’s thrown people under the bus so much as there’s no “off the record” with her.
Hiatus? No. Just end it like it should have in September.
What’s a mani cam?
My guess is Kelly and Kathy are starting their own show. Or maybe they should.
Who actually still watches this show? Save your $ E! and just cancel it already.
Oh yeah. Because that was the most offensive show on E!