Nancy O’Dell replacing Mary Hart as host of ‘Entertainment Tonight’

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Entertainment host Nancy O’Dell will be taking the lead anchor position on ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ replacing longtime anchor Mary Hart.

News of O’Dell’s new gig came Monday evening, first reported by People magazine.

‘I remember watching ‘Entertainment Tonight’ when it first premiered and dreaming about working for the show someday,’ O’Dell told the mag.

‘I am honored to be the one chosen to fill a TV legend’s seat, and I hope I can do her proud!’

O’Dell left her own magazine show, ‘Access Hollywood,’ last December after a 13-year run. At the time, her rep said, ‘though she will be leaving for a new opportunity, this decision is based totally on Nancy’s desire to take her career to the next level and is completely amicable.’

Now, 11 months later, she’ll be filling Hart’s considerable shoes.

‘Nancy is a talented and respected entertainment correspondent. We have spent many years working on opposite sides of the celebrity battlefield, and I know the show will flourish with Nancy as co-anchor,’ Hart said of her successor.

O’Dell will join the broadcast as a special correspondent after the new year and will assume daily hosting duties when Hart finishes her final season.

In addition to this hire, O’Dell also will co-host ‘Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star’ with Carson Kressley for Oprah Winfrey‘s new cable network, to premiere in January.

What do you think of Nancy going to ‘ET’? Tell us in the comments section below.

— Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

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