Maria Menounos officially leaves 'Extra' to sign new deal with E! Network

A day after NBCUniversal’s E! Network locked up Giuliana Rancic for another two years, E! has announced that another entertainment news host is joining the fold. Maria Menounos is officially leaving Extra to join E!.

The news isn’t completely surprising, as there was speculation in March that she would be leaving Extra. That coincided with the launch of her Oxygen show Chasing Maria Menounos. Oxygen is a member of the NBCU group of cable networks.

On Thursday, E! said that Menounos has signed a multi-year deal, which will cover several specials and series. Her Underman/Omegagirl Productions company has also agreed to a first-look deal with E!.

The first part of the deal includes Untold with Maria Menounos, an hour-long entertainment newsmagazine she will host. She will also appear on Live From E! and E! Specials.

“To be able to host, report and produce for an entire network, one that spans globally no less, is thrilling,” Menounos said in a statement. “I'm excited to exercise my talents on both sides of the camera as my partner, Keven Undergaro, and I have many projects to bring to the network through Underman/Omegagirl. I'm equally excited to join a team of hosts and producers that are amongst the finest in our industry.”

Menounos has previously done work for NBC, reporting for Nightly News and The Today Show. She worked with Mario Lopez on Extra and also anchored Access Hollywood.

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