E! pulls 'Fashion Police' amid cast shakeups, bad press, advertiser woes

The E! network has pulled "Fashion Police" from the schedule, following spectacular internal meltdown, negative press and diminishing returns for advertisers, TheWrap has learned.

"E!'s comedy series 'Fashion Police' is going on hiatus and will return in September. We look forward to taking this opportunity to refresh the show before the next awards season. 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," the network said in a statement.

Kathy Griffin's abrupt exit on Thursday was the latest in a series of blows to hit the show — which never quite found its footing after the death of its original host Joan Rivers.

While the style program has historically attracted ad revenue and brand placement opportunities , those are drying up increasingly since the January 12 relaunch with Griffin in the spot vacated by Rivers, a network insider said.

"They are really worried," said the insider. "'Fashion Police' was a big workhorse for advertisers with tons of brand integration all year long back in Joan's day. That's one of the reasons they kept the show around… they sold it at the upfront [presentation]. But with all the bad press and the realization it doesn't work without Joan… they are thinking about canceling it quietly."

Representatives for E! have not yet returned TheWrap's request for comment. Kathy Griffin declined a request for interview for this piece.

Also Read: How E! Failed Giuliana Rancic in 'Fashion Police'-Zendaya Debacle: What You Didn't See (Exclusive)

Fashion content is a problem across the network, despite being part of the Comcast channel's DNA.

"'The Fabulist' was cancelled," the insider said of the defunct 2014 trend series hosted by Kristin Cavallari, "'Who Wore It Better' is tanking. So they are having issues with fashion as a category on E!"

To say nothing of the vey public dissolution of "Fashion Police" currently playing out in the press. Griffin's days post-resignation have been stacked with chatter about what she was promised, how the network failed her, and how she should never have accepted the position.

"It is just like when Chelsea [Handler] kept saying bad things about them. It's killing them and their brand right now… E! [publicity] doesn't have the upper hand," the insider said.

Also Read: Kathy Griffin Leaked Email Reveals She Was 'Nervous and Scared' About Quitting 'Fashion Police'

On the same day, Griffin told the women of "The View" that "I was told that they would happily, like, sign on to my style… but it's kind of like buying a house: You don't really know until you spend the first night there."

Speaking of first impressions: TheWrap reported in November that E! and Griffin were plaids and stripes from the start.

"They did some focus group testing on Kathy Griffin," an individual within E! told TheWrap at the time. "The problem viewers mentioned is she'd always be compared to Joan, but never actually as good as her." E! denied this at the time.

The network was also considering Tyra Banks for the gig, though she was quietly putting together her return to daytime TV (this fall's syndicated show "The Fab Life").

Griffin wound up at the head of the panel come January, be it for lack of a better Rivers successor or pressure to have cast in place for the approaching award season. And approach it did — where an Oscar edition of "Fashion Police" would proceed to dismantle the fragile relaunch.

In early March, individuals close to Rancic told TheWrap they were disappointed over the network's handling of the events, that they hadn't admitted its role in the debacle nor defended the TV personality. Rancic wound up issuing an on-air apology for the comments.

Not only did the individuals say the Zendaya comment was written for Rancic, but"Fashion Police" producers edited out footage that would've given more context to the remarks, and possibly could've saved her from being characterized as a racist. E! had no comment at the time.