Jenkins takes over from Seacrest on E!

HOT TOPIC: Actor and TV presenter Terrence Jenkins fills Ryan Seacrest's shoes as co-anchor with Giuliana Rancic on E! News.

HOT TOPIC: Actor and TV presenter Terrence Jenkins fills Ryan Seacrest's shoes as co-anchor with Giuliana Rancic on E! News.

Published Feb 11, 2013

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Terrence Jenkins has been announced as Ryan Seacrest’s successor as the co-anchor of E! News. His allure to the social network-addicted youth’s savvy when it comes to popular culture, as well as his romance with Hollywood as an actor, has made him the best fit for the job. Debashine Thangevelo bagged an exclusive interview with Jenkins, who gave us the lowdown on how this development fits in with his career plans…

IT WAS one of those unfortunate occasions when communication was hindered by a bad connection. Nevertheless, Terrence Jenkins made a concerted effort to scream into the speaker, for which I was most grateful.

An über chilled guy, it wasn’t hard to detect the excitement in his voice. After all, this is a mega leap from hosting BET’s 106 & Park.

Interestingly, he has guest- presented for E! News before, so it was simply an extension of that, on a permanent platform.

He says: “I’ve been a guest host a couple of times. It is a lot of fun.”

Now, stepping into the huge – and I mean it on a colossal scale – shoes of Ryan Seacrest is no easy feat.

However, Jenkins says he wanted to carve out his own path in the co-anchor seat.

“I’m young and bring a lot of energy to the show. Ryan and I come from different backgrounds and we have unique styles. I admire him. But I never worry about emulating his style.”

With the 31-year-old actor making serious in-roads in Hollywood (Stomp the Yard, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming, Burlesque, Think Like A Man and Sparkle), does his contract allow him to pursue his acting career?

“The good thing is that E! is a very supportive network. You look at Ryan – he has several different jobs with his radio show, hosting American Idol and Giuliana (Jenkins’ co-anchor) also has Fashion Police. So that is never a problem whenever I want to pick up a movie role.”

On the skills of a E! News anchor, he comments: “Work ethics are important. A knowledge of pop culture – you have to really love it. I think a lot is about dedication and research.”

Of course, it does help that he shares an amazing on-screen camaraderie with his gorgeous co-host.

And he is super-energised about covering the Oscars.

“I’m really excited,” he laughs. “Unlike some shows that see you jump in the deep end, we kind of prep all year long. We watch the movies, listen to albums and so on.”

Like most hosts, he does have his favourite celebs to interview.

Jenkins laughs: “I enjoy chatting to Brad Pitt, Jamie Foxx is a great guy. I also had a great time chatting to Simon Cowell.”

Sadly, we ran out of interview time, not that it was much to start off with, before he could run through his list.

But if you want to find out more about this intriguing and dashing talent on E! News, best you tune in on weekdays. After all, he is the hottest news right now!

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