E! is rolling out the red carpet for Laverne Cox.
The network announced Monday that it was pulling in Cox, 48, as the host of its flagship red carpet show, “Live from E!,” replacing Giuliana Rancic.
“Laverne Cox is a risk-taker, groundbreaking pioneer and a fashion tour de force,” NBCUniversal’s Jen Neal said in a statement. “As we continue to evolve the way we cover Hollywood’s biggest nights, Laverne’s passion for, and extensive knowledge of, the fashion community resonates with our audience and we look forward to seeing her shine on the other side of the velvet rope.”
The “Orange Is the New Black” alum said in a statement of her own, “I’m so excited and deeply humbled to be hosting E!’s iconic red carpet coverage. For many years I would wake up early on awards show days, get my snacks in place and watch E!’s coverage all day long. I dreamed of walking red carpets … I can’t wait to get started while hopefully serving up fashion fantasies for the ages, honey.”
The announcement came on the heels of the news that Rancic, 46, was leaving the red carpet behind and had inked a new development deal with NBCUniversal.
“After 20 fabulous years hosting E!’s red carpet, I have decided to step out of my red carpet heels into a new pair of shoes,” she captioned an Instagram photo Friday.
E! has experienced quite the talent shuffle in 2021. Page Six exclusively reported in March that Jason Kennedy was also out following 15-plus years at the network — just under a month after longtime host and producer Ryan Seacrest’s February announcement that he was “[moving] on to new adventures.”