Television is a brutal business. One day you are the face of the "most-watched entertainment news program in the world," and the next, you’re just another name in a Wikipedia entry. People forget. They really do. You spend decades watching someone like Mary Hart or Bob Goen every single night while you eat dinner or fold laundry, and then suddenly, the seat changes. New faces arrive. The cycle continues. But for the people who actually sat in those chairs at Entertainment Tonight, the transition isn't always as smooth as a scripted hand-off to a commercial break. It’s a weirdly specific type of fame. You’re ubiquitous but also sort of invisible, a conduit for other people’s scandals and triumphs.
The Mary Hart Era and the Reality of Moving On
Mary Hart is the blueprint. Period. She spent 29 years at the helm, which is a lifetime in Hollywood years. Most people remember the legs—insured for $1 million each—but her real legacy was her stability. When she left in 2011, it felt like the end of an era because it literally was. Since then? She hasn't been chasing a comeback. She’s been living. You’ll see her behind the home plate at Los Angeles Dodgers games. She’s deeply involved in philanthropy, specifically with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Honestly, she’s the rare example of a host who knew exactly when to walk away. She didn't try to pivot into a failed talk show or a reality TV stint. She took the "legend" status and ran with it. Most former Entertainment Tonight hosts struggle with that specific pivot. It's hard to go from being the person who breaks the news to being the news itself.
Bob Goen’s Shift to the Quiet Life
Then you have Bob Goen. He co-hosted alongside Hart from 1996 to 2004. If you grew up in the 90s, his voice is probably etched into your subconscious. When he left ET, he didn't disappear into a void, though it might seem that way if you only watch national network TV. He moved back to his roots. He spent years in local markets, specifically in Cincinnati, and eventually transitioned into a more relaxed lifestyle in the South.
It’s a common theme. These hosts often realize that the grind of the 24-hour Hollywood news cycle is exhausting. Goen’s path shows that there is a very dignified life to be had after the bright lights of Stage 28 at Paramount Studios dim.
The John Tesh Phenomenon: More Than Just a Face
If we’re talking about former Entertainment Tonight hosts, we have to talk about John Tesh. He is the ultimate "multi-hyphenate" success story. Tesh was there for a decade, from 1986 to 1996. He was the quintessential 80s and 90s TV personality—tall, blond, and incredibly earnest. But while he was reporting on movie premieres, he was secretly building a massive music career.
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He didn't just "try" music. He dominated it. His Live at Red Rocks special is legendary in the world of Public Television. He’s won six Emmys. He has a nationally syndicated radio show, Intelligence for Your Life, which reaches millions of people. Tesh is perhaps the most successful host in terms of reinventing his brand entirely. He proved that the ET chair was a platform, not a destination. He used the visibility to launch a media empire that has nothing to do with celebrity gossip.
Mark Steines and the Post-ET Transition
Mark Steines spent 17 years at the show. That’s a massive chunk of a career. When he left in 2012, people expected him to stay in that same lane. He did, for a while, moving over to Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family. His departure from Hallmark in 2018 was... abrupt. It made headlines. It reminded everyone that even for veteran hosts, the industry is fickle.
Steines has leaned heavily into his secondary passion: photography. If you look at his work, it’s actually quite impressive. He’s shot portraits of some of the biggest names in the world. It’s a fascinating pivot. He went from being the one in front of the lens, being told where to look and what to say, to being the one behind it, controlling the narrative.
The Names You Might Have Forgotten
Not everyone gets a decade-long run. The list of people who have cycled through the correspondent and weekend host positions is long.
- Rocsi Diaz: She came from 106 & Park and brought a much-needed younger energy to the show. After her stint, she moved into various hosting roles at VH1 and HLN. She’s a great example of the "freelance host" lifestyle that defines the modern era.
- Rob Marciano: He was a co-host for a brief period before returning to his true calling: meteorology. He landed at Good Morning America, proving that sometimes, you just miss your original niche.
- Julie Moran: The first female solo anchor of ET Weekend. She was a staple of the 90s. Today, she’s much more focused on lifestyle hosting and being a "soccer mom" in the most high-profile way possible.
Why the Anchor Chair is a "Gilded Cage"
There is a reason why so many former Entertainment Tonight hosts don't stay in the industry forever. It’s a grueling schedule. You’re constantly on call. When a major celebrity dies at 3:00 AM, you’re in the makeup chair by 4:30.
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Furthermore, the nature of the job has changed. In the Mary Hart days, ET was the only place to get that info. Now? It’s on Twitter (X) or TikTok three hours before the show airs. The hosts have had to transition from "news breakers" to "storytellers." This shift is why you see people like Nischelle Turner or Kevin Frazier—the current guard—leaning so much more into personality and opinion than the hosts of the 80s did.
The Financial Reality
Let's be real for a second. The pay for these top-tier hosting gigs is astronomical compared to most jobs, but it’s not "set for life" money unless you’re Mary Hart or John Tesh. Many former hosts have to keep working. They do infomercials, they host local parades, they do corporate speaking gigs. There is no "pension" for being a TV personality. You’re only as good as your last contract.
What Happened to the Weekend Crew?
The weekend show was always the testing ground. If you could handle the hour-long deep dives on Saturday, you might get a shot at the daily show.
Jann Carl is a name that comes to mind. She was with the show for 14 years. She was the consummate pro. After ET, she didn't just sit around. She co-founded her own production company and started hosting Small Town Big Deal. She found a way to take the production skills she learned at ET and apply them to content she actually cared about. It’s a recurring pattern: the smartest hosts are the ones who learn how the "sausage is made" so they can eventually own the factory.
The Cultural Impact of the ET Voice
Have you ever noticed how every ET host sounds the same? That "broadcaster voice"—clipped consonants, upbeat inflection, the "coming up next" tease. It’s a hard habit to break. When these hosts leave, they often have to go through a period of "unlearning."
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If you listen to Leeza Gibbons now, she sounds like a real person. But back in the day? She had that signature ET sheen. Gibbons is another massive success story. She won The Celebrity Apprentice, she’s a New York Times bestselling author, and she’s a huge advocate for Alzheimer’s caregivers. Like Tesh, she used the host chair as a springboard for advocacy and business.
How to Track Your Favorite Former Hosts
If you’re looking for where these people are today, don't look at the network TV guides. Look at LinkedIn and Instagram.
- Follow their production companies. Most veteran hosts like Mark Steines or Jann Carl now produce their own digital or niche cable content.
- Check the "Lifestyle" space. Former hosts are the kings and queens of the lifestyle niche. They end up on HGTV, Food Network, or Hallmark because they are "safe" and "familiar" to audiences.
- Podcast networks. This is the new frontier. Many former correspondents have launched their own podcasts where they finally get to tell the "behind the scenes" stories they couldn't share while they were under contract.
The reality is that being a former Entertainment Tonight host is a badge of honor in the industry. It means you can handle a teleprompter like a pro, you don't blink when a movie star gets an attitude, and you can fill 30 seconds of dead air without breaking a sweat. Whether they are selling real estate in Beverly Hills, hosting a radio show in the Midwest, or just enjoying a quiet retirement, these hosts shaped how we consume celebrity culture for over forty years. They were the original influencers, long before that word meant anything.
To really understand the trajectory of these careers, you have to look at the transition from "broadcaster" to "brand." The ones who survived the longest are those who realized they weren't just reading news—they were building a relationship with the audience that had to transcend the show itself. That’s the secret sauce. That’s why we still care where they ended up.