Nancy Grace to Depart HLN after 12 Years

[JamesG]

Nancy Grace to Depart HLN after 12 Years (Exclusive)
6/30/16
by Seth Abramovitch


Nancy Grace, who parlayed her stint as a successful prosecutor into a two-decade career as one of cable's most recognizable and controversial figures, will depart HLN, her TV home for the past 12 years, when her current contract expires in October.

Grace, 56, broke the news ‪Thursday morning to her staff of 18 — some of whom have been working with her since the late 1990s, when she got her start co-hosting on Court TV with the late Johnnie Cochran — at the network's CNN Center headquarters in Atlanta, where Grace shoots the majority of her shows.

New York-based staffers learned of her departure simultaneously via video conference call.





A network spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter that a new series — one that will "utilize the expertise of the current team" — will replace Nancy Grace in the ‪8 p.m. slot following the airing of the final episode ‪on Oct. 13.

The decision was a difficult one, according to Grace, who in an emotional interview with THR admits to being "really mixed" about taking a step she's been "thinking a lot about" for the past three years.





Grace first informed CNN executive vp Ken Jautz, the same man who lured her to the fledgling network, then called CNN Headline News, back in 2005, of her decision in early June.

"At the end of my meeting with Ken, I gave him a big hug and he hugged me back. It was like full circle," Grace says, adding that Jautz is making every effort to "try to relocate everybody" on her staff. "That was a big concern."

"Nancy has worked tirelessly on behalf of the missing and exploited for more than a decade on HLN," says Jautz. "She gave a voice to the voiceless, and we are extremely grateful for her contributions to the network. During her remarkable career at HLN, she led the coverage of two of this century’s most talked about and infamous trials, Casey Anthony and Jodi Arias. We will always be champions of Nancy's mission and are excited to see what’s next for her."





While her ratings are nowhere near the staggering highs of years past — her afternoon broadcast following the reading of famed filicide suspect Casey Anthony's not-guilty verdict on July 5, 2011, drew 4.57 million viewers — the lightning-rod legal crusader remains the most-watched and talked-about personality on HLN, averaging 291,000 viewers in May.

But that's only enough to rank her show 42nd out of all cable news programs, two spots behind Fox News' Red Eye, which airs weekdays ‪at 3 a.m.





While she won't share what factors specifically contributed to her decision, or where she plans on going, Grace says whatever she does next — and she has no plans for a hiatus — will involve "a very large digital component." Still, she is not ready to walk away from the medium that made her famous just yet.

"I will always be wedded to a traditional platform — which is TV, God help me," she says. "My plan is to merge those two in an effective way, in my voice, the 'anti-crime' voice. Our show has never really been about me. It has been about the stories that we tell and the people we talk about and the mysteries we try to solve and the children we try to bring home. There’s an entire section of our population that I want to reach."





Shortly before her departure from HLN, her third novel (and fourth book) — Murder in the Courthouse — will hit stores on Oct. 11. The first in a series of Hallmark Channel movies based on the characters from her novels is scheduled to air later that month, with Kellie Martin starring as Grace's fictional alter ego, Hailey Dean.

Grace, who went to law school and became a prosecutor in Atlanta after the murder of her fiancé when she was 19, has become a leading TV voice for "victim's rights." Her nightly show regularly highlights abused and murdered women, missing children, negligent mothers and what she perceives to be miscarriages of justice. Her detractors paint her as channeling the country's rage for personal gain, frequently to the detriment of the judicial process.

But fans love her dedication to seeking retribution for victims of violent crime and are gripped by the often disturbing details of the cases she highlights.





Grace is quick to dismiss the suggestion that she's hoping to reach younger eyeballs in a new outlet.

"Don't tell my mother that," she says. "She's all about Facebook and tweeting and texting, so don't go there. But there’s a very large segment that I want to reach. I was very, very proud when our followers hit the 2 million mark."

(Grace's Facebook page has over 2 million likes. Megyn Kelly's, by comparison, has just over 1 million.) And she plans to take full advantage of everything the internet currently has to offer — from live video to podcasts — to reach as many of them as possible.





Wherever she lands, however, will need to be comfortable with her trademark style of editorializing and the controversy it invites. Grace's critics, and there are many, say she is more intent on inciting mobs than providing a voice to violent crime victims.

"Since her show began in 2005," the late New York Times media columnist David Carr wrote, "the presumption of innocence has found a willful enemy in the former prosecutor turned broadcast judge-and-jury."





But there's little question that her tactics can work. Take, for instance, her penchant of slapping cases with tabloid-worthy monikers like "Tot Mom" Anthony and "Vodka Mom" Toni Medrano.

Medrano, a 29-year-old Minnesota mother who Grace lambasted for having allegedly crushed her newborn to death in a drunken stupor, committed suicide in 2012 by dousing herself in gasoline and lighting herself on fire. Medrano's family blamed Grace and filed a lawsuit against CNN, resulting in an out-of-court settlement.

Grace, who comes up with the nicknames herself, first starting employing them in law school to help keep track of the many cases she was studying. She says the habit has "really helped" the homicide and violent-crime suspects she focuses on stick in the public consciousness.





She is similarly proud of the banners, or chyrons, that appear across the lower-third of the screen throughout her show. "I spend hours a day until we go to air on them, and sometimes we'll change them mid-program," Grace says of the headlines, which aim to "tell a provocative story in just a few words, so when a viewer's on mute, they stop and say, 'What is that?' And hold."

The practice is now commonplace amid the dizzying clutter of 24-hour TV news, particularly at CNN.





But Grace's most profound effect on the media landscape could be the one she touts most often: trailblazing a stand for victims. In the dozen years since her HLN debut, her impact can be seen on the coverage of everything from Bill Cosby's accusers to victims of campus rape; framing stories from the victims' point-of-view has evolved into a common narrative in news coverage.

It would be hard to envision Ashleigh Banfield devoting an entire broadcast of CNN's Legal View to reading the Stanford rape victim's letter to her accuser, as she did earlier this month, without Grace's arresting efforts.

"I want to play within the rules," she says. "There’s nothing to protect the victims and the people who are really hurt. That’s what I’m about."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...ing-hln-907480

[wiseguy182]

I've always had mixed thoughts on Nancy Grace. What she does is pretty important and unique, but then there were things like the bogus Duke Lacrosse rape accusations, which she was on the wrong side of, and she never offered a public apology for that.

Another instance in which she had been accused of prompting a murder suspect to commit suicide was Melinda Duckett, who I strongly believe did kill her son Trenton (the case is a lot like Timmothy Pitzen's). That one also resulted in a settlement, although if Trenton isn't found by 8/26/2019, the money goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...t_trenton.html

I absolutely, positively loathe Melinda Duckett, I believe she's a child murderer and I'm not sorry in the least she's gone, whether or not Nancy prompted her to off herself or not.

In an extremely bizarre footnote to this story, Trenton is the grandson of James Duckett, a former Florida police officer who is in prison for the rape and murder of a girl. This was not the first time he had done this. This case was the subject of an episode of CNN's Death Row Stories.

[MegtheEgg86]

Good riddance. Her on-screen persona is a scream-preaching harpy at best and a shameless con-artist at worst, and it makes American viewers angrier, more hateful, and prone to snap judgements and oversimplifications of complex legal battles. Her show was tailor-made to whip people into frenzies of the worst kind and I'm glad it's over.

P.S. I will never forget that time Elizabeth Smart called her out on her BS on live television. It's absolutely worth a search around the ol' popular video-hosting site if you've got a minute.

[5353]

It's hard to tell which side this author is on, but here's an article on her departure worth reading:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...html#pq=y9Pw86

[wiseguy182]

I do have to wonder if there's more to this story. HLN is apparently rebranding itself, so I can't help but wonder if Nancy was gently nudged out the door.

Speaking of which, while I no doubt love that The Hunt with John Walsh is airing on the network, is it really necessary for them to air certain episodes 80 bajillion times, especially since the show has only had barely more than a dozen episodes up to this point? The solved ones constantly rerunning is even more confusing. That's just going to make people want America's Most Wanted back even more, and there's already a huge fan base for that.

There's also one episode I missed that they apparently aren't re-airing. Very weird.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Not a fan never was.

[wiseguy182]

The last time I tried to watch her show it was difficult to watch. Commercial breaks while she was in mid-sentence. Unless that's just because she never shuts up.

The "Nancy Grace Mysteries" specials were something else. Not much of a mystery when she crams one theory down our throats.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Good riddance. Her on-screen persona is a scream-preaching harpy at best and a shameless con-artist at worst, and it makes American viewers angrier, more hateful, and prone to snap judgements and oversimplifications of complex legal battles. Her show was tailor-made to whip people into frenzies of the worst kind and I'm glad it's over.

I always found her nauseating. Too much so to watch her show on a regular basis...or at all once I discovered who she was.

My favorite local morning radio station in the metro Detroit area interviewed her over the phone a couple years ago. I don't remember which case was big in the news at that time but one of the DJ's called her out specifically on how little she featured cases of victims who were not white. He said something along the lines of, "I'm not trying to downplay the tragic reality of what happened to Natalee Holloway but it seems you spend an awful lot of time covering cases like hers but if there's a victim out there named Tamika, Aisha or Lucia, you don't feature them at all. Can you tell us why?"

Then there was 5 seconds of silence and she hung up. The next day, the radio show got a call from her publicist saying, "Nancy does not wish to be interviewed by your show ever again."

To this day, the radio station is proud over being hated by Nancy Grace and the fact that she hung up on them is something they wear like a badge of honor.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

To this day, the radio station is proud over being hated by Nancy Grace and the fact that she hung up on them is something they wear like a badge of honor.

That makes me laugh.

I've always been on the fence with Nancy Grace. I admire what she's trying to do, but I find her to be too "in your face" and forceful. I think the public wants our prosecutors to be firm, but reasonable. I have NEVER gotten a reasonable vibe from Nancy Grace. Ever.

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

P.S. I will never forget that time Elizabeth Smart called her out on her BS on live television. It's absolutely worth a search around the ol' popular video-hosting site if you've got a minute.

That's some cringeworthy TV right there.

"What was it like wearing a burka? How did you see out of that thing?" SERIOUSLY? Props to Elizabeth Smart for being so poised and not ripping her a new one even more than she did.

I would have pulled a Tonya Harding (as in, taken the mic off and walked out of the interview.) Bless Elizabeth for staying to try to get the word out on the bill she wanted Congress to pass.

[wiseguy182]

Nancy wasn't right 100% of the time. But I think it's important to remember why she got into this business in the first place: her fiancé was murdered when she was 19. That's a horrible thing for a teenager to have to go through. I believe her heart's in the right place.

I can understand how her anger is off-putting to some and it makes the show difficult to watch. But I also understand why she does it. There is far too much crime in this country, and far too many criminals that get away with doing bad things. We should be outraged. She's brought attention to a lot of cases people would otherwise not be aware of.

I also find some of the criticisms elsewhere online to be over-the-top, particularly the one that she "killed" Melinda Duckett by leading her into committing suicide. Um, no. Melinda committed suicide because she had a history of depression, two stays in a mental hospital, and felt guilt over killing her two year old son, all before the age of 22. She didn't commit suicide because Nancy asked her some tough questions, to which Melinda lied and evaded.

I should also point out she donated all of her Dancing With The Stars earning to a children's charity, and also helped staff a woman's battered center hotline.

[Awsi Dooger]

I've toned down my distaste for her in recent years. Still, I'm glad she's gone. She indeed made rash judgement the only appropriate choice for every case, especially when a male was suspect.

Speaking of the Elizabeth Smart case, I believe she all but convicted an early suspect basely on the mileage on his car. Nothing rlse. Then he had a physical setback and died relatively young and long before he had his name cleared when the true kidnappers were known.

Nancy Grace is disgusting. I don't like to soften stance or amend foundational opinion. There have been many, many voices who stood up for victim's rights in a classy and level headed fashion.

[SPD Yellow]

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

That's some cringeworthy TV right there.

"What was it like wearing a burka? How did you see out of that thing?" SERIOUSLY? Props to Elizabeth Smart for being so poised and not ripping her a new one even more than she did.

I would have pulled a Tonya Harding (as in, taken the mic off and walked out of the interview.) Bless Elizabeth for staying to try to get the word out on the bill she wanted Congress to pass.

Yeah that was an impressive amount of poise. Heck, I wish I could have been that unflappable when I was in my late teens.

Because seriously the way Nancy was talking, it was like she was salivating, thinking of all the suffering Elizabeth went through.

[Jediknight1823]

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

I've toned down my distaste for her in recent years. Still, I'm glad she's gone. She indeed made rash judgement the only appropriate choice for every case, especially when a male was suspect.

Speaking of the Elizabeth Smart case, I believe she all but convicted an early suspect basely on the mileage on his car. Nothing rlse. Then he had a physical setback and died relatively young and long before he had his name cleared when the true kidnappers were known.

Nancy Grace is disgusting. I don't like to soften stance or amend foundational opinion. There have been many, many voices who stood up for victim's rights in a classy and level headed fashion.

Yeah, Nancy pushed the philosophy that if the cops questioned somebody that person was guilty.

Her show could have went down like this.

Nancy: "It's obvious the ex-boyfriend murdered her, why else would the cops question him?"
Guest: "They asked him if he knew of any enemies she had, or if he know of anybody that would want to hurt her."
Nancy: "But if he's her ex, why did he call her so much? He was obviously a stalker."
Guest: "According to her family and friends, along with his family and friends, they split due to their careers taking them to different coasts. They still remained good friends. If you listen to what the family and friends of both say, they always referred to the other as their best friend."
Nancy: "But what about the trouble he's gotten into with law enforcement? That has to raise some red flags."
Guest: "He got a speeding ticket when he was 17, that's it."
Nancy: "How about the statement he made when they were dating, 'I'm going to kill you, you damn jackass.'?"
Guest: "According to everybody present, which includes her sister, he was playing the video game Dead Rising, and it was in reference to the True Eye Cult that's in the game. She just walked by the door as he was saying it."
Nancy: "Oh yeah, well what about his alibi? I find it sketchy that both were in Portland at that same time."
Guest: "He was in Portland Oregon, and she was in Portland Maine."

[dynoguy88]

This is one of those instances where I wish we could embed or post video links here from the forbidden site. So I'll just write out a little transcript.

Comedian Kathy Griffin would often poke fun of Nancy Grace over the years and Nancy had a good sense of humor about it, surprisingly. Several years ago, she dedicated a portion of her comedy act to talking about Nancy's show. Despite what kind of comedy you enjoy, I thought this was hilarious. She said...

I had a nice chat with Anderson Cooper and I said I’m so looking forward to hosting New Year’s Eve with you and all that stuff. And then I said, look, I’m going to be honest. While I’m so happy to be doing New Year’s Eve with you, there’s somebody else at CNN that I really want to meet and I’m going to kind of use you as my gateway drug to this person. And he goes, ‘Who? Whatever you want.’ And I said, ‘do you think you can get me some sort of meeting with Nancy Grace?’ To which he said, ‘Uh, you know she’s super crazy.’ And I said, ‘I know. That’s why I want to meet her.’

I want to do an episode of the D-list with Nancy Grace where we solve a crime. I’m so obsessed with her show. To the straight guys, turn off ESPN for five minutes and give this crazy b*tch a chance because this is the craziest show on television bar none. It’s on an hour a night. It’s on CNN Headline News. Why it’s on a news channel is completely beyond me. It’s a court show because she’s a former prosecutor and she has no regard for the law or the Bill of Rights or any of that sh*t. And she’s just a character. She has about 23 hairs and she teases them up to high heaven. I would watch her read the phone book. And she has the worst cast of characters, like, you know how they have the pundits in the different boxes? Well, because she’s a prosecutor she’ll have like 17 prosecutors and one poor defense attorney. And the great thing too is that she loses her sh*t once a show. Every night you can count on her like a f*cking bomb goes off. It’s awesome!

It’s so funny to me because she’ll do sort of these gruesome crime scenes and she’ll describe every gory detail and then for no reason, I swear to GOD, for no reason every night, she’ll show a picture of her baby twins. What the hell kind of court show is this?

(Imitating Nancy’s accent) “So it turns out that the body had been dismembered. The head was found in the state of Iowa. Her spleen was bleeding out. Her legs were found in Mississippi. And now…here’s a picture of my twins!”

I’m not making this up. And then on screen, there’s a picture of her twin , who have nothing to do with the case or anything. And then when she comes back from the picture of her twins, she’s sobbing so hard that she can barely say goodnight, crying about her kids who she’s going to see in 20 minutes anyway. It’s hysterical.

And also, how she can make an hour out of nothing is staggering. And what’s great about her is that regardless of any actual news, regardless of the war or the economy or the election, she will sink her teeth into one case like a f*cking dog with a bone. And she never has any new evidence at all but every night, she’s like, ‘Breaking news! Breaking news! Breaking news!’ Tonight we’re going to have an actual discussion about some possible new evidence. Breaking news! Breaking news! She’s got f*cking nothing.

It sort goes on like this where she brings up all the times Nancy goes off on her staff and she mentions the time Nancy made her field producer put a Domino's Pizza in his trunk and leave it there for two weeks to do a 'DNA pizza smell test,' because there was a story in the news where a body was found in a trunk with some pizzas and she wanted her producer to describe to the audience what the trunk smelled like.

It's really funny. It's on the forbidden site if anyone wants to see it.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

There have been many, many voices who stood up for victim's rights in a classy and level headed fashion.

Agreed. You don't have to be histrionic and vengeful to be an advocate for victims. I think that's really the main reason why I had such contempt for her show: she made it seem as though unless you were visibly incensed, raving mad, and jumping to rash conclusions, you didn't really care about the victim.