Nancy Grace has become a lightning rod for controversy during her time hosting her eponymous primetime legal analysis show. But, after 12 years of helping to publicize some of the most severe crimes, Grace has decided to leave her HLN home behind for something new.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nancy Grace has decided to call it quits on the HLN show that made her a household name when her contract expires this October. She told her staff at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta and in New York this morning about her decision, after talking over the move with CNN's executive vice president early this month. The final episode of Nancy Grace will air on October 13. Grace hasn't yet stated what led to her decision, which she noted was a difficult one to make, but has said that her next project will combine her work in TV with a digital component to continue her "anti-crime" voice.
Nancy Grace decided to become a felony prosecutor and supporter of victims' rights after her fiancé was murdered when she was 19. She spent almost a decade as a Special Prosecutor in the Atlanta-Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney's office, where she specialized in prosecuting felony cases centered on serial child molestation, serial rape, serial murder and serial arson. She began her career in broadcasting on Court TV with a legal commentary show alongside Johnnie Cochran, and soon moved to a solo trial coverage show on the same network. Grace moved to her current show on HLN (formerly CNN Headline News) in 2005.
Nancy Grace has become known as a champion for victims' rights and for being extremely outspoken when she believes miscarriages of justice are afoot. But, for everyone who applauds her broadcasting style, there are several who feel she uses the cases she reports to foster her own fame, and sometimes speaks without regard to the facts that have been presented. A George Washington University law professor spoke out against Grace during an interview with a New York Times reporter in 2011, saying that she "demeaned" both lawyers and reporters with "hype, rabid persona, and sensational analysis," and that "her show erodes the respect for basic rights."
As with most things, though, the controversy surrounding her tactics as a legal reporter have, on many occasions, led to massive ratings for the news program. Her afternoon post-verdict broadcast for the Casey Anthony trial in July 2011 netted the show 4.57 million viewers. And, while Nancy Grace is still the most talked about and watched personality on HLN, her show, in general, is only ranked 42nd out of all cable news shows.
Well, it's almost a given that a broadcaster as outspoken as Nancy Grace will continue to have success with whatever she does next. Will you follow Nancy Grace to her next project? Let us know in the comments.
