Laverne Cox to REPLACE Giuliana Rancic as E!’s red carpet host

Laverne Cox is replacing Giuliana Rancic as E!’s main red carpet host, and will be taking over when covering Hollywood’s biggest nights including the Oscars. 

The news was announced Monday that Cox, 48, will be taking over from Rancic, 46, who has been doing the job for 20 years, as the host of their flagship red carpet program Live from E!

‘Laverne Cox is a risk-taker, groundbreaking pioneer and a fashion tour de force,’ a statement from NBCUniversal’s Jen Neal read.

‘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.’

Cox released her own statement saying: ‘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.’

She added: ‘I dreamed of walking red carpets … I can’t wait to get started while hopefully serving up fashion fantasies for the ages, honey.’

Last week, Rancic announced her early retirement from the show in an Instagram post saying: ‘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.’

‘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 concluded: ‘To my E! family, thank you for allowing me to make my red carpet dreams come true for the past two decades. It has truly been a highlight of my career and life. ⁣⁣’