''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television 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'' 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, television, and film 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 ...

, in the United States since September 9, 1996. It was previously produced by

NBC Studios NBC Studios may refer to: * NBC Studios (New York City), 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, home of NBC TV, NBCUniversal, MSNBC, WNBC * 10 Universal City Plaza in Los Angeles, home of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment * NBC Tower, office building i ...

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 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 NBCUniv ...

, in association with NBC's owned-and-operated station

KNBC KNBC (channel 4) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Corona- ...

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 Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

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

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 – correspondent (2005–2011; later at '' Extra'' and ''

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

'') * 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 occasio ...

'', now co-host of ''The Talk'') * Nancy O'Dell – weekday/weekend anchor/correspondent (1996–2009, later at '' Entertainment Tonight'' and ''PEOPLE, The TV Show!'') * Pat O'Brien – weekday/weekend anchor/correspondent (1997–2004, later at '' The Insider''; now co-host of

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

'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 – correspondent (1996–1998; now host of '' Survivor'') * Tony Potts – weekend anchor/correspondent (1999–2011; now at CNN and HLN) * Shaun Robinson – 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 discover ...

, ''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 '' Entertainment Tonight''. 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, who ...

, 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 Pictur ...

and

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies w ...

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 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 and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

. 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 primar ...

'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 Kit Hoover, 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 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 10 Universal City Plaza (10 UCP) is a 35-story, rhombic skyscraper in Universal City, California near Los Angeles. The tower was completed in 1984 by Hathaway Dinwiddie, and was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and contains of office ...

, 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 commercial buildings covering between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco buildings, commissioned by the Rockefeller family, span th ...

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

, Kit Hoover 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 multicultur ...

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

Independent station An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, marke ...

CHCH-DT 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 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

hosted by Kate Garraway 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 votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

Spoofs

*The show was parodied in the show ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of 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”. Another theory, more wi ...

'' 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 boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

'' episode "

Free Hat "Free Hat" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. The 88th overall episode of the series, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 10, 2002. The episode was writt ...

", 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 animated black comedy-drama streaming television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...

'' 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. Spelli ...

. *

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-born American comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He is best known for hosting the CBS late-night talk show '' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014), for which he won ...

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 The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing ...

'' 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 eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short " Good Night ...

. *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, ...