Giuliana Rancic Was Never The Same After Leaving E! News

All eyes have been on Giuliana Rancic's drastic transformation over the years during her two plus decades in television hosting. Even though she's been known to make comments that nearly destroyed her career, Rancic spent years on the E! network, hosting both "E! News" and "Fashion Police."

While we have a recap of Rancic's downfall that you can read to make assumptions as to why she stepped away from the job that made her career, by 2019, she was ready to leave the E! network. At the time, Rancic cited her desire to focus on her family. "The decision ... really came from wanting to be with family more, and focusing and spending as much time as possible with family," she shared with People. She also named focusing on business as a priority, as she and husband Bill Rancic continued to expand their restaurant ventures, among other businesses.

This has caused some to question the real reasons we don't hear from Rancic as much anymore, or even question what secrets she has tried to hide. But balancing both a personal return to center and a professional realignment became paramount to the mother of one. "It's nice though to be able to still kind of stay and do it all," she admitted to People.

Giuliana Rancic's initial departure from the E! Network came in 2019, when she announced that she would be vacating her duties as co-host of "E! News" after many years. She briefly departed from the program from 2015 to 2018 to dedicate more time to her family, particularly to spend quality time with son Duke, who was born in 2012 via surrogate.

A year later, she decided to once again refocus on family — and herself — as she entered the next phase of her career and life. "They have been so supportive," she said of her employer to People in 2019. "Truly, I mean it's just an incredible family to have. But it is nice having a little more flexibility."

It was important to Rancic to recenter herself so that she could give more of her time to not only her family. But she also wanted to have the time to fully pivot to her and her husband Bill's various business ventures, including their restaurant group, RPM, formed in 2012. "[It's nice] having that flexibility to give 100% to our restaurants and our other businesses — to be doing things that we're really passionate about," she explained to People. But while she wouldn't be a daily presence on the network, she was still committed to her hosting duties on "Live from the E! Red Carpet."

By 2021, Giuliana Rancic decided it was time to step away from the E! network for good. This also meant stepping off the red carpet that she had been hosting for 20 years at the time. Despite her departure, she revealed that her next career move would keep her pretty close to home when it came to her former employer.

"One of my passions is great storytelling and I am thrilled to announce a new development deal with E!'s parent company NBCUniversal where I will be producing and bringing stories to life," she shared in a statement on her Instagram.

While the deal has not yet produced tangible assets, E! continued to spur forth their red carpet coverage with new host Laverne Cox, who had nothing but positive things to say about Rancic. She even credited Rancic for paving the way for in-depth red carpet coverage on air. "Thank you for setting such a high standard, for years of grace, class and style," Cox gushed in an Instagram post. "Thank you for always being so amazingly kind and generous whenever our paths have crossed. Sending you so much love on your new chapter.

Giuliana Rancic has been vocal about her fertility struggles throughout her career, which eventually led to son Duke's birth via gestational surrogate in 2012. After stepping away from "E! News" in 2019, Rancic revealed that she was eager to expand her family once again as she reassessed her career and personal priorities. "Nothing is more important than spending time with my family, which we are hoping to grow soon," the television personality shared in an Instagram post.

In the past, Rancic has shown a lot of vulnerability about the devastating and often risky process of surrogacy,  which, for the Rancics, included two miscarriages experienced by their surrogates. But she has also opened up about the possibility of adoption, which she says would be a "beautiful gift" for her family. "I'm even more open to [adoption] than I was before," she once shared with People in 2015. "Because I think to myself, 'I love Duke so much, if I couldn't take care of him, I hope there would be someone else who would love him.'"

No matter what, Rancic affirms that her family is her priority, even with her career successes. While she's had to pull back from some of her most notable ventures, she maintains that it is all worth it to be able to spend critical time with those she loves most. "[I] have the career still going, handle as much as I can — you know, just shift it a little bit," she once shared on "The View" (via People). "But ... family ... that's the most important thing in the world."

Giuliana Rancic may have switched gears when she left the E! network, but she didn't stray too far from television cameras. She pivoted to the Home Shopping Network (HSN), where she repurposed her hosting skills to help promote products within her "G by Giuliana" fashion line, launched in 2012. While she technically began her relationship with the network in 2012, by 2024, she was a staple on the set with numerous lines to her name, including a house decor line released in 2020.

But even with the change of programming, old habits seemed to die hard for the television personality. "Even when I'm on set and I'm talking about the products and the line, if the host brings up something about her life, forget it," she admitted to People in 2024. "I'll ask a million follow up questions. I'm like, 'Wait, how long have you guys been married?' I'm just intrigued by other people."

As part of her HSN ventures, Rancic designs more than a dozen different collections every year. She even taps into her Italian roots by collaborating with her mother on the Mama DePandi food and beverage line — launched in 2023 — which includes olive oils, pasta sauces, and seasonings. "I have always been inspired by my mom's incredible Italian cooking," she shared in an interview with La Cucina Italiana. Rancic has also put her design eye to use with her home pieces, where she can tap into a different type of fashion. "I thought, 'Why don't I bring my fashion point of view into the home space?'" she posed to People. "It's like elevated fashion forward pieces for the home and unexpected prints and patterns."

After overcoming breast cancer in 2011, Giuliana Rancic has dedicated significant time to raising breast cancer awareness and advocating for treatment care. "To be able to come out of it and see the good in that time, too, and realize, 'Hey, let's make a positive out of this negative' is something that's helped me come to terms with all of it," Rancic revealed of her cancer treatment to Morning Honey. "It's become part of my life's purpose." That purpose has seen the entrepreneur partner with several brands, including Avocados from Mexico, for special events, like the 2023 Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl, a college football bowl game with proceeds going towards breast cancer research.

By combining her professional acumen with her personal story, Rancic has been able to not only rally support for this important cause, but to also bring moments of joy to women who face it. In 2013, she founded FAB-U-WISH, a wish granting program that highlights women in need of joyous, fashion-forward moments while undergoing breast cancer treatment.

All of these initiatives have also helped Rancic come to terms with her own breast cancer story. "It's been a really tough journey, but at the same time, I learned so much and life got even sweeter after it," she told Morning Honey. "The fact that I can now be someone who gets in front of it and educates others is a great gift."

When it comes to balancing business and relationships, the truth about Bill and Giuliana Rancic's relationship proves that they have become experts at both. The two are business and life partners, and their shared love for each other has blended into their professional ventures, like their series of RPM restaurants.

RPM — which boasts both Italian and steak varieties in several major cities, including Chicago and Washington, D.C. — has become a beloved family institution for all the Rancics. As they continue to expand to places like Las Vegas, they are well aware of the focus it will take to make things successful. "You want to be sure the food is right, the ambience is right, the service is right," Giuliana Rancic told Neon upon the Vegas restaurant's opening in 2022. "We don't take it lightly that we are here in Vegas. We know about the competition. We're prepared for that."

Outside of the kitchen or the office, the Rancics make sure to spend quality time with each other. Luckily, they know the key to their marriage (and their hearts) isn't just good communication — it's also camaraderie. "We laugh a lot," Bill revealed to People in 2024. "We went out the other night for an early dinner and my cheeks were hurting we were laughing so hard. So we have a lot of fun together."

When she's not focusing on her business ventures or spending time with her family, Giuliana Rancic has invested energy in giving back to the community and sharing her positive outlook. In 2025, from her new home base of Chicago, she joined FOX5 for a new segment called "Rancic Rescues" where she spotlights local Midwestern animal shelters and service organizations. "I wanted to do something meaningful here in the city, and I love animals," she explained.

The segments see Rancic pay visits to these organizations, talk to their representatives, and even sometimes interact with the animals themselves. In one appearance, Rancic visited PAWS Chicago, the Midwest's largest no-kill shelter, to learn more about the organization's mission and to have some puppy playtime with adoptable dogs. Over the years, she has continued her work with PAWS Chicago, and has even volunteered to foster animals in her home. "We are loving being a foster family," she gushed in an Instagram post. "And thank you to @pawschicago for all you do every single day."

Rancic also focuses on spreading positivity as a speaker, where she highlights how she overcame bullying during her early years to become a stronger individual. "I always tell girls, whatever struggles you go through as a young woman, those are the things that become your power later," she told People. "Even though it's painful to think back on, I wouldn't change a thing. Because everything I went through as a child got me to where I am today."

Giuliana Rancic, along with husband Bill Rancic and son Duke, know how to find fun while embarking on their travels around the world. The proud parents, who make the trip to Giuliana's hometown of Naples, Italy, every summer, love to share history both personal and universal, with their young son through interactive means. "In every city [we travel to] we give him a scavenger hunt," Bill explained to People. "So when he is in New York City, he has to go to the top of the Empire State Building, he has to go to the Statue of Liberty ... We want him to experience these cities and really have some takeaway."

It's not just traveling that gets young Duke involved in the family lifestyle. In 2024, he appeared in a live cooking segment alongside RPM chef Bob Broskey to share his family recipe for the Giuliana Italian salad. "I really love food," he shared with host Tracy Butler on ABC7 Chicago's "Cooking Up A Storm." "I think it's a great way to have fun." He also likes to be hands-on in the kitchen at his parents' restaurants. The youngest Rancic has even been known to pass out treats to customers. "We have a cotton-candy maker and he'll go make cotton candy and then just bring it out to people randomly and I'm like 'Duke, they're still eating their steak!'" Bill joked to People.

But what Giuliana loves is when her son channels his mother's profession, and she has even filmed him making his own HSN "presentation" with his mom's products at home. "[After] I asked if he wanted to watch [the video] and he said, 'No, just make sure it gets on TV,'" Giuliana shared with the publication.

While her love for her family is paramount to her life, Giuliana Rancic still holds deep affection for her time at the E! network, both on "E! News" and on the red carpet. The television personality spent more than two decades with the channel, becoming intrinsic to the brand's overall style and reputation. When Rancic decided to leave the network in 2019 for good, it was not a decision that she took lightly. "'E! News' will always be part of my heart," she told People at the time. "It's my first big show on TV ... It's just an incredible family to have."

After 32 years on air, which saw a transition from their Los Angeles studio to New York City in 2019, "E! News" was eventually canceled in 2025. This prompted an outpouring of bittersweet support from former hosts, correspondents and fans. Rancic was chief among them, sharing a lengthy post on Instagram highlighting her time on the network. "I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this pop culture phenomenon that aired in over 100 countries and allowed me to travel around the globe meeting the most amazing and loyal viewers," Rancic gushed in the post. "Anchoring 'E! News' was my dream job and the professional honor of a lifetime."