Courtesy HLN
The changes keep coming to HLN. The latest is that Dr. Drew Pinsky’s HLN program, Dr. Drew, will end on September 22.
The program, which was also known as Dr. Drew on Call, has aired since 2o11, but was never a huge ratings success. The show went through several formats, but none struck gold.
Ken Jautz, the head of HLN, said in a statement, “Dr. Drew and I have mutually agreed to air the final episode of his show on September 22.”
“Dr. Drew and his team have delivered more than five years of creative shows and I want to thank them for their hard work and distinctive programming. Their audience-driven shows, in particular, were innovative and memorable TV. And Dr. Drew has been an authoritative voice on addiction and on many other topical issues facing America today.”
The news comes a week after Dr. Drew courted controversy when he said that he and a colleague had reviewed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s medical record and “were gravely concerned not just about her health, but her health care.” Some conservative websites tried to link the two.
Pinsky said in a statement, “It has been a privilege working at HLN.”
“My executive producer Burt Dubrow and our outstanding staff and contributors were consistently exceptional. I am very excited to stay within the CNN Worldwide family as a contributor.”
HLN has been refocusing on its news roots over the past few months. Primetime host Nancy Grace is leaving the network and will be replaced by CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield. Michaela Pereira also jumped from CNN to HLN to host a late morning news program and Erica Hill left NBC to rejoin HLN and soon host a daytime news show.