Why We Don't Hear From Giuliana Rancic Anymore

For well over a decade, Giuliana Rancic was everywhere to be seen on E!. From hosting red carpets to E! News, she was one of the network's top faces. Nowadays, though, you really don't see much of Rancic. What exactly happened? Here are a few clues.  

 

1. She Sparked A Scandal

Rancic found herself at the center of an intense media scandal after her appearance on Fashion Police's recap of the 2015 Academy Awards on February 23, 2015, during which she quipped that model-actress Zendaya must have smelled like "patchouli oil" or "weed" because she wore dreadlocks . Among her biggest critics was Zendaya herself, who released a blistering statement to her Instagram shortly after the episode aired. "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," Zendaya wrote, without mentioning Rancic by name. "I don't usually feel the need to respond to negative things but certain remarks cannot go unchecked."

As the scandal continued to balloon, Giuliana stepped in to formally apologize for making the joke—first on Twitter, then again during the February 24, 2015 episode of E! News. "I just want everyone to know that I didn't intend to hurt anybody, but I have learned it is not my intent that matters—it's the result," she said. "And the result is that people are offended, including Zendaya, and that is not OK. Therefore, I want to say to Zendaya and anyone else out that I have hurt that I am so, so sincerely sorry."

She continued: "This really has been a learning experience for me—I've learned a lot today—and this incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of cliches and stereotypes, how much damage they can do. And that I am responsible, as we all are, to not perpetuate them further." Zendaya accepted her apology shortly thereafter.

2. Which led to major behind-the-scenes drama

While this was all going down, 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 about Zendaya. "I do not condone racism," Osbourne tweeted on February 24, 2015. "So as a [result] of this I'm [seriously questioning] staying on the show!" She followed those remarks with a separate tweet, adding, "I'm giving everyone involved 24 hours to make it right or the world will hear how I really feel. Contactually [sic] Im [sic] not allowed to speak!"

Osbourne's departure from the show was announced a few days later in a statement from E!, which said she was leaving to "pursue other opportunities." But even Osbourne's exit did little to quiet the scandal, as evident by an August 2015 interview she gave to The Wrap. "I will never admit to liking Giuliana because I don't," she said. "I don't think she's a good person and I think she's a liar." Yikes.

3. And then Kathy Griffin Quit

Rancic's terrible, no good, very bad year got even worse a few weeks after Osbourne's departure when Fashion Police host Kathy Griffin—who had stepped in to host following the death of Joan Rivers—openly criticized Rancic's joke about Zendya in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. "I wouldn't have said the joke in the first place," she said. "Some dude wrote it for her." Continuing to offer her perspective, she added, "Don't have anyone write you jokes or even suggest jokes for you on Fashion Police. You have enough great insider gossip from actually being on the red carpet. That's what fans want to hear the next day. Just talk and be yourself."

Only a few days later, Griffin confirmed on Twitter that she, too, was quitting Fashion Police after just seven episodes. "I discovered that my style [of comedy] does not fit with the creative direction of the show and now it's time to move on," she wrote. Her statement also appeared to indirectly address the drama from the Zendaya joke: "I do not want to use my comedy to contribute to a culture of unattainable perfectionism and intolerance towards difference."

To make matters even worse for Rancic, E! subsequently announced that Fashion Police would be put on hold until a retooled version could be launched in September.

4. And then Rancic went on the defense

Weeks after Griffin's departure, Rancic appeared on the Today show to promote her new memoir, Going Off Script. But even then, she couldn't escape questions about the Zendaya controversy. This time around, Rancic appeared a bit more defensive about her involvement in the scandal, going so far as to allege that the joke had gotten taken out of context in the editing room. She also claimed that, of the 80 or so people at the taping that day, "not one" of them made any comment that suggested the joke might be offensive.

"I see why people took offense," Rancic said, adding she finds racism "reprehensible" and does not tolerate it "at all." "I thought that the joke was not edited in the proper way, and that's just something I have to live with. It's very important for me to just get out there and tell the real story, and I knew I would have my moment. But those darn headlines were so crazy for so long that I thought, 'Let everything calm down, and then I can come out and tell the real story.'" By then, though, the damage to Fashion Police had clearly been done.

5. She Left E! News

On July 9, 2015, Rancic announced she was leaving E! News as a day-to-day anchor but would continue to co-host E!'s red carpet coverage of awards season and, curiously enough, Fashion Police. Almost immediately after the news broke, a report from Page Six alleged that Rancic was leaving because E! had hired her "archrival" Maria Menounos and the network was pushing her out. "Giuliana knows it's a sinking ship and she's had an awful year," a source said. "It's half her decision to leave and half getting pushed out."

Rancic denied the claims, telling People it was "100 percent my decision to leave [E! News]." A few months later, Menounos also denied she was pushing Rancic out in an interview with Redbook magazine. "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," she said. "And I was assured that wasn't the case."

6. She Was Already Having A Rough Time

Even when you remove the Zendaya scandal, the past few years have been more than rough for Rancic. In 2011, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy shortly thereafter. Then, on New Year's Eve in 2014, Rancic—who welcomed son Duke in 2012 after years of infertility struggles—found out she had miscarried after becoming pregnant with her and husband Bill Rancic's third and final embryo. "It was painful," Rancic told People in April 2015. "We were so optimistic with this last embryo … It was a really hard time."

To make matters worse, many had become concerned about Rancic's weight in recent months and wondered whether the cancer had returned or she had an eating disorder. Amid the rumors, Rancic confirmed to People that her weight loss was the result of cancer-suppressing medication she had been taking for some time.

When you add everything together, it makes sense that Rancic would want to step away for a little while, especially on the heels of the Zendaya drama. Given all of her struggles, it was probably a good idea to step away and focus on priorities beyond headline-making news.

7. She's Doing Other Things

Although you may see less of her on E! these days, Rancic certainly hasn't slowed down in her professional life. In the last few years alone, she's launched a successful clothing line for HSN, a brand of wine, and an initiative aimed to help women battling breast cancer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her business and charitable ventures appear to have helped ease the headaches caused by the Zendaya debacle. When asked whether her uptick in appearances on HSN were a "breath of fresh air" after hosting E! News for over a decade, Rancic's husband Bill bluntly told The New York Daily News: "From your mouth to God's ears!"

"It's just really nice to be doing what I'm very passionate about," Rancic said more diplomatically.