YouTube Celebrity Grace Helbig Gets Series Order From E!
YouTube sensation Grace Helbig has made the full transition from cyber celebrity to bona fide television star as she has just landed a talk show deal with E!. Her yet-to-be-named weekly interview show will lean heavily towards millennials with segments that will incorporate tweets, Vines, and Instagram messages from the viewers at home. Helbig will perform interviews in weird and random places, like inside a parked car, as a means to further set the talk format aside from it’s traditional pattern, according to Greg Braxton of the L.A. Times.
E!’s Executive VP of Original Programming and Development, Jeff Olde, spoke to the new approach of the network in attempting to re-capture a core audience of young female viewers, especially in the wake of the Chelsea Handler, the former face of the network.
“This show is a fresh take on the conventional talk show with a very unconventional host who has already captured an enormous fan base of young viewers on the web. As we continue to seek out programming that offers a rich multiplatform experience, we are excited to launch this forward-thinking talk show that speaks so perfectly to our audience and to the core of E!’s pop culture brand.”
Hellbig began creating content for the internet in March of 2008. Soon after, she launched her daily web series, DailyGrace on My Damn Channel. By the end of 2013, Helbig had amassed an astonishing 2.4 million subscribers with over 211 million video views on YouTube. Helbig parlayed her self-cultivated internet fame into bit roles in feature films and an occasional correspondence gig on the now-defunct G4 show, Attack of the Show!. While attending Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, Helbig formed a sketch comedy group called “Baked Goods” while taking improv classes in New York City. True to her self-effacing character, Helbig was sheepishly humble about her online celebrity.
“Congratulations to E! for giving an internet-obsessed introvert a talk show. I’m looking forward to working with humans.”
E! was left in a state of identity crisis following the departure of Handler, along with the unexpected and sudden death of comedy legend Joan Rivers, who hosted E!’s Fashion Police, in addition to her commanding presence on the red carpet. Olde rebounded fast, replacing Rivers with a panel headed by comedian Kathy Griffin and signing Helbig to a series order. As Helbig’s show is a weekly deal, it remains to be seen how Olde accounts for the nightly absence of Handler. Perhaps Helbig’s signing signals a future direction for the network that could see frequent Helbig co-horts Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart, YouTube stars in their own right, making appearances on or for the network.
Helbig’s show is currently expected to air in April.
