Host Mary Hart leaving ‘ET’
“Entertainment Tonight” will lose its long-time anchor Mary Hart at the end of next season.
Hart announced Thursday (Aug. 5) that the 2010-11 season, the show’s 30th, will be her last. She’s been with the syndicated showbiz-news show almost from the beginning: She joined “ET” in 1982, a year after it launched.
“I’ve had the privilege of spending 29 years doing something I love — how often does that happen?” Hart says in a statement. “I only meant to be at ‘ET’ for three years, suddenly it’s almost 30! I’ve reached a point when I clearly realize it’s time for a change. There are many things I want to do in my life, and I’d better get on with them. It will certainly be with mixed sentiments that I say goodbye at the end of the season, but it will definitely be with a sense of celebration.”
For now, it will be business as usual on “ET,” which launches its 30th season on Sept. 13. No decision has been made on a replacement for Hart, but the show’s producers have plenty of time.
“Mary is one of my closest friends and although I respect her decision I will miss her tremendously,” “ET” executive producer Linda Bell Blue says. “Right now we are focused on making this next season the very best in her long history with ‘ET.'”
Categories