NBCUniversal to Exit First-Run Syndication, Canceling Access Hollywood After 30 Years

NBCUniversal announced on March 13, 2026, that it is exiting the first-run syndication business, canceling several long-running programs including "Access Hollywood," "The Steve Wilkos Show," "Karamo," and "Access Live." The decision ends a 30-year run for "Access Hollywood," which premiered on September 9, 1996. The company cited changing marketplace conditions and audience fragmentation as the primary drivers behind the move. The announcement, reported simultaneously by Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard, marks a significant withdrawal from a distribution model that once anchored daytime and late-night local television across the United States.

"Access Hollywood" will continue producing original episodes through September 2026, giving the program a final production window before its closure. "Karamo" and "The Steve Wilkos Show" have already ended production, though original episodes from both shows will continue to air through the summer of 2026. "Access Live" is also among the canceled programs. The cancellations follow a previously announced decision that "The Kelly Clarkson Show" will end after seven seasons, a move that preceded this broader exit from syndication. The wave of cancellations effectively dismantles NBCUniversal's entire syndicated programming slate.

"Access Hollywood" was originally created to compete with "Entertainment Tonight" and premiered on September 9, 1996. The program covered celebrity news and entertainment industry events throughout its three-decade run. Steve Wilkos, host of "The Steve Wilkos Show," is a former law enforcement officer with the Chicago Police Department who began hosting his own program in 2007, having previously served as director of security on "The Jerry Springer Show" from 1994 to 2007. Karamo Brown, host of "Karamo," is known for his role as the culture expert on the Netflix series "Queer Eye." The first-run syndication model has faced sustained pressure from the rise of streaming platforms and the decline of traditional local broadcast viewership.

NBCUniversal's exit reflects a broader industry reckoning with the economics of traditional television distribution. The company pointed to marketplace conditions and audience fragmentation as making the syndication model increasingly unsustainable. The departure of a major studio from first-run syndication removes a significant source of programming for local broadcast stations, which have historically relied on syndicated content to fill daytime schedules. The combined cancellations represent decades of cumulative programming history, with "Access Hollywood" alone spanning 30 years of entertainment news coverage. No confirmed information is available on what, if any, replacement programming NBCUniversal plans to offer to its station partners.