Mario Lopezhas a new gig!
The actor and host has been named host of bothAccess Hollywoodand its daytime counterpart,Access Daily,the network announced Wednesday.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Lopez said, “I am grateful and excited to join the team atAccess, and the NBC family. I can’t wait!”
Lopez, 45, will join co-hosts Kit Hoover and Scott Evans when he makes his debut on Sept. 9.
“I have long admired the team at NBCUniversal and all the shows being produced,” theSaved By the Bellactor, who currently hostsExtra, said in a press release statement.
He added: “I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to join in that success and develop scripted and alternative projects on their many creative platforms.”
Additionally, he has signed an overall development and producing deal — for both scripted and alternative programming — with Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio.
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Said Maureen FitzPatrick, senior executive producer of bothAccess HollywoodandAccess Live: “We are thrilled to have someone of Mario’s caliber join ourAccessteam. Mario has grown up in the business and is able to offer our viewers a unique insight on the latest Hollywood headlines. Additionally, as a husband and father of three young children, he has a respect for the daytime audience who are looking for a break in their hectic lives with uplifting stories of everyday people transforming their lives and making a difference in their communities.”
The announcement comes three months afterNatalie Morales shared that she was leaving the show, nearly three years after her cross-country move from theTodayshow’s New York studio to take on the role of anchor for Access Hollywood and Access Live. Though she stepped away fromAccess Hollywood, she remained with NBC as the West Coast anchor for the Today show and is continuing to act as a correspondent onDateline.
Morales took on the role after longtimeAccess Hollywoodhost Billy Bush — who was the show’s co-anchor since 2004 – joinedToday. But soon after he began the gig in 2016, Bush,was firedfollowing theTrump tape scandal.
Now, nearly three years later, Bush, 47, will return to television to hostExtra Extra, a new iteration of the current syndicated entertainment show, featuring a modernized set and in-depth look at topics including pop culture, sports and politics.
“We all have to be able to evolve as we grow,”Bush, told PEOPLEin May. “The guy that left the scene in 2016 was already a changed person [since 2005], but I had the opportunity to grow up a little bit. Facing adversity in some way is good. And I feel I’ll be better at my job than I ever was. This is my next step.”
source: people.com
