Why Was ‘Access Hollywood’ Canceled? NBCU Program’s Cancelation – Hollywood Life

Access Hollywood is the latest NBCUniversal program to get the ax. The company announced the celebrity news platform‘s cancelation along with several others, including Access Live, Karamo and The Steve Wilkos Show, and fans are both outraged and confused. Why would the seemingly successful program get the boot after almost 30 years on TV?

The news came shortly after Kelly Clarkson announced she would step down from hosting her NBC daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Here’s what we know about Access Hollywood‘s cancelation.

When Was Access Hollywood Canceled?

NBCUniversal announced that Access Hollywood, along with other first-run syndication division programs, was canceled on March 13, 2026. However, the show will continue production through the summer of 2026.

Access Hollywood officially aired in September 1996.

Why Was Access Hollywood Canceled?

According to a statement shared by NBCUniversal, the company “is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations,” Frances Berwick, Chairman of Bravo & Peacock unscripted for NBCUniversal, explained in a statement.

“The company will remain active in the distribution of our existing program library and other off-network titles, while winding down production of our first-run shows,” Berwick added. “These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years and we’re very proud of the teams behind them.”

The axing of Access Hollywood comes amid ongoing turmoil for television. Multiple daytime talk shows have gotten the boot from their networks, and even late-night comedy hosts are worried after CBS gutted Stephen Colbert, whose final episode will air this May.

What Will Happen to the Hosts of Access Hollywood?

The current hosts of the program, Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, Scott Evans and Zuri Hall, have not publicly commented on the show’s cancelation at the time of publication. It’s unclear what their next steps will be, but they are scheduled to continue production on Access Hollywood through the summer of 2026.