It’s the end of an era for The Insider.
The syndicated entertainment-themed talk show will end its run with its current 13th season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Hosted by Debbie Matenopoulos and Louis Aguirre, the CBS Television Distribution series will wrap on a to-be-determined date in early- or mid-September. Staff, including correspondents Michael Yo and Keltie Knight, were informed of the decision during a Tuesday morning meeting.
The syndicated strip, along with sister show Entertainment Tonight, airs in the highly coveted access time period between 7 and 8 p.m. Together, they help lead into primetime on local CBS owned-and-operated networks throughout the country.
Sharon Hoffman, who replaced longtime executive producer Brad Bessey in November, exec produces alongside co-EPs Rick Joyce and Jeffrey Wilson. The show started as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and has toyed with its format in the years since, including a tenure in which it was known as OMG! Insider.
The Insider‘s viewership has ranked near the bottom of the syndication news magazines’ list for the past few years, trailing behind ET, Inside Edition and Access Hollywood. The news comes as The Insider has struggled to differentiate itself from other celebrity-themed news magazines (like TMZ, among others) in the past few years and as license fees continue to decrease amid a tougher ad market. It’s unclear what will replace The Insider on local affiliates when the show signs off for good in September.
The decision comes as Endemol Shine North America, the New York Post and Twentieth Television have sold similarly themed Page Six TV in 17 Fox TV stations in markets including Los Angeles and New York following a strong run over the summer.
