Fashion Police, following weeks of controversy, will be taking a hiatus from the E! network and won’t be returning until the fall.

Fashion Police Hiatus

E! announced late Thursday that Fashion Police would be taking a break from the air until September.

“We look forward to taking this opportunity to refresh the show before the next awards season,” E! said in a statement. “Our talented co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski, along with executive producer Melissa Rivers, will continue their roles as we evolve the show into its next chapter for the legions of Fashion Police fans around the world.”

E!’s announcement comes following the much-publicized departures of co-hosts Kathy Griffin and Kelly Osbourne. Both hosts made pointed criticisms about the humor used on Fashion Police upon exiting the show. Osbourne took great issue with the joke Rancic delivered about Zendaya‘s hair, while Griffin claimed that the nature of the humor on Fashion Police clashed with her feminist principles.

Though the network initially claimed that they would finish up the final three episodes of the season, it had a change of heart and decided to take the time to reboot before returning to the air. NBCUniversal Lifestyle Networks Group president Frances Berwick now concedes that rushing to get Fashion Police up and running again following Joan Rivers‘ tragic and unexpected death was probably not the best strategy.

“With the benefit of hindsight, we definitely brought it back too soon,” Berwick told The Hollywood Reporter, adding of the recent controversies, “There was a lot of noise and drama that are really not helpful or additive to the creative process, but there’s a real love for this show.”

While Berwick is taking criticism of the show in stride, she’s hesitant to believe that E! is an outlier in how it covers celebrity fashion, particularly during the theater of awards season. In fact, Berwick believes that E! has an advantage in that it’s a network that’s known to have fun with the coverage.

“There’s a lot that’s frivolous about the whole Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe parade, and then at the heart of it, there’s some great, creative work,” Berwick said. “E! is not a network that takes itself seriously.”

It’s unknown who will fill in the seats vacated by Osbourne and Griffin on Fashion Police, but according to E! there’s no shortage of personalities who want the job.

Leave a comment

Read more about: