For well over a decade, Giuliana Rancic was everywhere on E!.
From hosting red carpets, to E! News, she was one of the network's top faces, but nowadays,
you don't see quite as much from this celebrity correspondent.
What happened?
Here are a few clues.
Scandal
Rancic found herself at the center of an intense media scandal after she made an on-air quip
about actress Zendaya's appearance on Fashion Police's recap of the 2015 Academy Awards.
"She has such a tiny frame that, to me, this hair overwhelms here.
I think that she's smells like patchouli oil.
Or weed."
"Yeah, maybe weed?"
Some of the backlash came from Zendaya herself, who released a blistering statement to her
Instagram shortly after the episode aired.
Without mentioning Rancic by name, Zendaya wrote:
"To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or 'weed'
is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive.
I don't usually feel the need to respond to negative things but certain remarks cannot
go unchecked."
"Zendaya has dreads.
So, Giuliana… you know what I'm thinking right now, right?"
As the scandal ballooned, Rancic apologized for making the joke — first on Twitter,
then again on E! News.
"I want to say to Zendaya and anyone else out that I have hurt that I am so, so sincerely
sorry."
Zendaya accepted her apology on Instagram, saying, in part,
"Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I’m glad it was a learning experience for you
and for the network.
I hope others negatively affected by her words can also find it in their hearts to accept
her apology as well.”
The producers of Fashion Police found themselves dealing with another crisis when Rancic's
co-host, Kelly Osbourne, threatened to quit the show over Rancic's comments, tweeting,
"I do not condone racism.
So as a [result] of this I'm [seriously questioning] staying on the show!"
Osbourne's departure from the show was announced a few days later in a statement from E! Weeks
later, Rancic appeared on the Today show to promote her new memoir, Going Off Script,
but she still couldn't escape questions about the Zendaya controversy.
"I find racism reprehensible.
I don't tolerate it at all."
"I see why people took offense.
I thought that the joke was not edited in the proper way, and that's just something
I have to live with."
But by then, the damage to Fashion Police had clearly been done.
Departure rumors
On July 9, 2015, Rancic announced she was leaving E! News as a day-to-day anchor but
would continue to co-host the network's red carpet coverage and, curiously enough, Fashion
Police.
Almost immediately after the news broke, a report from Page Six claimed Rancic was leaving
because E! had hired her alleged "arch-rival" Maria Menounos.
A source said,
"Giuliana knows it's a sinking ship and she's had an awful year.
It's half her decision to leave and half getting pushed out."
Rancic denied the claims, telling People it was entirely her decision to leave.
A few months later, Menounos also denied she was pushing Rancic out in an interview with
Redbook magazine, saying,
"When I was being sought after by E!, I made it very clear to them that I didn't want to
be coming over to take somebody's job.
And I was assured that wasn't the case."
Health struggles
Outside of the work drama, Rancic has seen some rough times in her personal life.
In 2011, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy.
Then, on New Year's Eve in 2014, Rancic found out she had miscarried after becoming pregnant
with her and husband Bill Rancic's third and final embryo.
She told People in April 2015,
"It was painful.
We were so optimistic with this last embryo."
"It was a really hard time."
To make matters worse, many had become concerned about Giuliana's weight, wondering if the
cancer had returned or she if she had an eating disorder.
Amid the rumors, Giuliana confirmed the truth.
"It's very scary to have cancer, be on medication, and then you start losing weight.
I thought, 'Oh my gosh, is the cancer back?'
I went to my doctor and he said a side effect of the medication is weight loss."
Other opportunities
Although you may have seen less of her on E!, Giuliana certainly hasn't slowed down
in her professional life.
She's launched a successful clothing line for the Home Shopping Network, a brand of
wine, and an initiative to help women battling breast cancer.
When asked whether her new ventures were a "breath of fresh air" after hosting for more
than a decade, her husband bluntly told the New York Daily News:
"From your mouth to God's ears!"
Chicago girl
After her Fashion Police and E! News drama, Rancic left California to become a full-time
Midwesterner.
Along with a more normal schedule for her son, fleeing the incessant coverage of her
tumultuous year seemed to be a nice bonus.
Although to hear Giuliana tell it, career considerations didn't have much to do with
it.
She told People,
"I won't be in LA on set as much.
But there's a lot of work in New York and Chicago too.
I don't have to pick one or the other."
With the October 2017 cancellation of Fashion Police, her public TV appearances have mostly
been limited to awards show coverage, which only happens a few times a year.
Still, by the looks of it, she's not stopping anytime soon.
"Do you want to come back for the next 5 years?"
"Maybe after the next award show."
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