8 Rumors About Giuliana Rancic We Couldn't Ignore

When you think of the red carpet, several correspondents' faces come up, and Giuliana Rancic's is definitely one of them. In the early and late 2000s, Rancic was the one to watch during awards season and on her hosting duties for E!, which included "E! News" and "Fashion Police." In her era, she stood out for being fun and quirky, and always attuned to what was trending in fashion and beauty. However, though she was good at her job and commanding attention, Rancic hasn't been a stranger to controversy that has come back to bite her once or twice.

Before and after she left E! to pursue other passions, the journalist was known for her commentary in and outside of work. As a result, many rumors have swirled about Rancic and her professional and personal behavior, and they're not pretty. While Rancic has debunked some of the juiciest rumors about her, there are many more that continue to haunt her, and the tea is impossible not to sip.

You know that feeling when a celebrity says something you know will follow them for the rest of their days? That moment for Rancic came in 2015. During a 2015 episode of "Fashion Police," the former co-host commented on actor Zendaya's Oscars look, where she styled her hair in faux locks and wore a Vivienne Westwood off-white gown. When her look was discussed on the comedy show, Rancic said she didn't enjoy her hair choice, stating on the show, "Zendaya is more high-fashion. The hair, to me, on her is making her a little more boho. Like. I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed." (via People).

Rancic's comment was quickly slammed on social media, especially after she had recently called Kylie Jenner's similar hair choice "edgy." Many mentioned they felt her comments were racially charged at worst and stereotypical at best. The backlash led to ongoing rumors about Rancic, including reports that the production team had set her up on "Fashion Police" to tell the joke. According to a source who spoke to People about the backlash, her comment was reportedly edited and taken out of context. In a clip shared with the outlet, Rancic said her hair looked overwhelming and "just too boho" before she made the patchouli-and-weed line.

"She just thought it was a joke about hippies," the source claimed. Rancic also apologized to Zendaya directly via X (formerly Twitter) immediately after the "Fashion Police" episode aired, though the comment still haunts her.

Another unfounded rumor about Rancic is that she and Kelly Osbourne came to blows while working together on "Fashion Police." However, that rumor isn't too impossible to believe, since Osbourne confirmed there was drama between them herself. During a May 2024 episode of her and her family's podcast, "The Osbournes Podcast," the singer said that, while she considered working for Joan Rivers "the best job I've ever had," she didn't have as many nice things to say about Rancic. "We don't need to give her any f—–g anything."

Later in their conversation, Osbourne suggested that Rancic's comments about Zendaya resulted in her leaving the show soon after the scandal broke. Her brother, Jack Osbourne, claimed on the podcast that fans blamed Kelly for the controversy, which he said was one of the reasons Osbourne ultimately left the show.

"One of the co-hosts of the show made a really kind of a fu—–g racist comment about her hair, and nothing happened to the woman that made the comment," he said. "And then Kelly kind of took the stand of, like, 'That's fu—d up. I don't wanna work with someone like that.' And then it somehow got turned around that Kelly said the comment, but Kelly didn't say the comment." Jack shared. Osbourne, for her part, also said she no longer wanted to do the show after Rivers passed away. Rancic has never publicly addressed their feud.

Rancic's drama with Osbourne wasn't her only experience with workplace drama. In this case, it was more like workplace fun shade. The shadiness came from none other than the legendary shade comedian, Joan Rivers. Rivers and Rancic worked together on "Fashion Police," and, sometimes, Rivers' insults would happen off-camera. In a 2014 interview with E! News, Rivers gave a blunt response about Rancic's choice to dye her hair blonde. When E!'s host Jason Kennedy asked Rivers how she felt about the look, she gave him a hilariously honest answer. "I don't like it," she said of Rancic's hairdo. "I think for her skin tone, I like her better dark. But it's up to her and Bill [Rancic]."

Despite her not being a fan of her co-star changing up her look, Rivers' insults about Rancic were mainly in good fun. When Rivers died in 2014, Rancic had nothing but kind words to say about the woman she called her mentor. She also revealed to ABC News that she had spent time with Rivers right before she passed, referring to her death as the "shock of a lifetime." "I had just seen Joan 48 hours before her procedure. We were taping the Emmy 'Fashion Police' show, and she was honestly better than ever, and she even looked better than ever at 81."

Rancic's inevitable exit from "E! News" also led to rumors about her being involved in a feud with another TV personality. In 2015, after her issues with Osbourne came to light, she announced she was leaving the news show she had been on for over a decade. "I was fortunate enough to play a role in the success of 'E! News,' and will miss my family at the show," Rancic shared in a statement to CNN.

The host added in her statement said that she planned to continue her hosting duties for E! both on "Fashion Police" and on the red carpet. Rancic also shared that she was working on other projects and felt it was time to give them more of her focus. Still, amid her exit, rumors swirled that she had off-camera drama with her former E! colleague, Maria Menounos.

Menounos, who joined the network in 2014, was tapped to replace Rancic after she left. The swap sparked rumors that E! sided with her in a feud, which Rancic vehemently denied. "They're absurd," she told People regarding the rumors. "I've never had a feud or drama with any of my 'E! News' hosts or co-hosts, and there certainly isn't one now," adding that "it takes two to feud, and I'm not feuding!"

Another rumor about Rancic during her time at E! was that she was fired from her hosting duties on E! News because of changes at the network. Soon after Rivers passed away and Rancic's comments about Zendaya were made public, several "Fashion Police" stars exited the show, including Kelly Osbourne and comedian Kathy Griffin, who left the show after just seven episodes. Some fans wondered if Rancic's departure might have contributed to the perceived network shakeup and ultimately cost her the job. 

However, Rancic confirmed her co-hosts' exits had nothing to do with her decision to leave, telling People, "I had this plan way before. And E! has been incredibly supportive and gracious." The host also shared that she had reached a healthier space after becoming a breast cancer survivor in 2011 following a double mastectomy. Rancic credited her new lease on life to her wanting to work on other passion projects, including her 2015 New York Times bestseller, "Going Off Script."

"There are so many wonderful things happening in my life right now," she said to People. "Number one, I'm healthy, and you can never lose sight of that. My husband is healthy, my child is healthy. That to me is everything. As long as we're happy and healthy, no rumor or lie is going to get me down."

When rumors about her professional life seemingly didn't work, Rancic's critics focused on allegations regarding her personal life. One topic that haunted her was suspicions about her figure. In January 2015, Rancic's red-carpet appearance at the Golden Globes sparked concern among fans, as she appeared thinner than her usual petite frame while wearing a strapless pink dress. Rumors swirled that she may have been dealing with an eating disorder or that her cancer, which she went into remission with in 2011, had returned.

Thankfully, Rancic confirmed that neither of the rumors about her body was true. In an interview with People, she revealed her weight loss was due to cancer-suppressing drugs she had been taking since 2012, which were affecting her weight. Rancic explained that she herself became worried about her body after she realized the drugs helped her with eating, but she wasn't gaining any weight. She shared that seeing the rumors about her weight when she was struggling with her health was difficult to watch.

"It's really hurtful," she wrote. "I'm sorry that some people think I'm disgustingly skinny, as they put it, but there's nothing I can do. I'm lucky that I even have the type of cancer that reacts to the medicine."

One of Rancic's juiciest rumors came from the professional gossip girl herself. According to Page Six, her 2015 memoir, "Going Off Script," gave her fans an honest view of her life and career up until that point. Rancic discussed her early days of fame, which included her dating actor and host Jerry O'Connell. The two dated for a while before she discovered he was cheating on her with Spice Girls' Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell. "I was being two-timed for one of the lesser Spices?" Rancic wrote about the ordeal.

She stated in her memoir that O'Connell confessed to cheating on her with Halliwell, and they eventually tried to work on their relationship. Unfortunately, their rekindled romance didn't last long. Later in her memoir, one of Rancic's tragic life details surfaced, stating that O'Connell dumped her to date his ex-wife, Rebecca Romijn, after he met her at Maxim's 100 Hottest Women party. Rancic stated that he ended their relationship by refusing to buzz her into his apartment and telling her, "Nope. Sorry, homegirl. Things change, but you take care, OK?"

Although Rancic and O'Connell moved on from their relationship, the revelation was shocking, and many fans wanted to know his response to what she wrote. During a 2015 interview on "Watch What Happens Live," O'Connell answered a caller's question about Rancic's comments and kept his response positive, calling her a "nice girl." (via US Weekly).

Rancic seemed to move past the rumors before ultimately deciding to work on her second act. She stayed with the E! network for six years after leaving "Fashion Police" before ultimately retiring from it altogether. Rancic's revamped career came soon after she left E!, when she started hosting on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). While she's found peace since leaving E!, the rumor mill hasn't. In November 2024, podcaster and former radio host Taylor Strecker told Page Six Rancic was responsible for one of her most "traumatic" interviews yet, calling her a "nightmare" to be around.

Strecker claimed she interviewed Rancic for her podcast, "Taste of Taylor," as a "favor" to someone on her show's team, knowing it wouldn't air. She said what resulted from the interview was an awkward spat between Giuliana Rancic and her husband, Bill. While Strecker claimed the tension between them didn't mean they were headed for a divorce, it was uncomfortable to watch. The podcaster also claimed Rancic "complained about me to the other interviews that she had for the rest of the day." Neither Rancic nor her husband has addressed Strecker's claims.