James Lipton, host of the interview series Inside the Actors Studio that has run on Bravo since 1994, is hanging up his index cards as the series has set a deal to move to Ovation TV in fall 2019. Lipton is 91, so you can understand.
Lipton is creator, executive producer and host of the show, which features actors, writers, directors and other entertainment figures discussing their craft — and always with Lipton. The Bravo run included more than 200 episodes and the series earned 20 Emmy nominations — its lone win came in 2013 for Outstanding Informational Series or Special. Lipton won a Critics’ Choice Award for hosting in 2016.
A Bravo rep told the network’s The Daily Dish that “now that there will be a new host, we felt it was time to close this chapter and pass the baton.”
The Ovation incarnation announced Monday will feature rotating guest hosts chosen by the network and The Actors Studio. The series is part of the master’s degree program at the Actors Studio Drama School of Pace University; it will continue to be filmed at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace’s New York City campus.