Giuliana Rancic Speaks Out About ‘E! News’ Exit

Giuliana Rancic has had her say about why she’s leaving E! News, and she denies she’s been forced out. Rancic told People that she’s wanted to move on from E! for several years now, but the network held her back. She is staying as part of the E! family as co-host of Fashion Police and the awards show staple Live From the Red Carpet.

“It was 100 percent my decision to leave. I brought up the idea to leave three years ago, but E! News kept extending me because they wanted me to stay.”

A PageSix report on Thursday said that Rancic’s departure was already in the works, but the “last straw” was the hiring of Maria Menounos. An unnamed source told the publication that the women do not get along.

“They’ve always been rivals. Maria sees Giuliana as competition and it goes back years.”

But Rancic told People she just needed to move on after more than a decade at E! News.

“I took on a challenge 14 years ago. I was a young reporter, and E! News was my dream job. It’s been an incredible journey. But after 14 years, I have nothing else to accomplish on the show. I want to grow as a person, as a businesswoman, as a host, and in order for me to grow, I need to take on a new venture and new challenges.”

In her original statement on Wednesday, Rancic stated that she looked forward to devoting time to her other E! shows, her clothing lines, wine brand, and executive producing a new show on the Oxygen network.

That new show, Rich in Faith, which once had The Wilkersons as its working title, is a reality show about Pastor Rich Wilkerson. Wilkerson married Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Rancic is therefore, in a way, carrying some E! reality show credibility over to Oxygen by creating a show so closely connected to the Kardashian clan.

Back when Melissa Rivers was announced as new co-host of Fashion Police, Rancic told Us Weekly she was excited to have her on the panel and emphasized their friendship.

“I’ve known Melissa forever, we talk all the time, we text all the time. No one knows the show as well as Melissa. I think it’s an exciting time for Fashion Police. I like that there’s a familiarity there, and we all know each other so well, it’s a lot harder to welcome a new person in because you have to get to know them and their timing.”

Giuliana Rancic will remain with E! News through August 10.

[Photo by David Becker / Getty Images Entertainment]