Mary Hart To Step Away in 2011

'Entertainment Tonight' mainstay says upcoming season will be her last

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/5/2010 10:26:22 AM

Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart announced Thursday that the upcoming season will be her last as host. The 30^th season of the top-rated show launches Sept. 13.

Hart, a 1999 inductee into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, has been with the show since 1982.

CBS Television Distribution says no decision has been reached on a replacement.

"It will certainly be with mixed sentiments that I say 'goodbye' at the end of the season, but it will definitely be with a sense of celebration," Hart said in a press release.

"Mary has been a fixture in our lives and we'll miss her dearly," said John Nogawski, president of CBS Television Distribution, in the release. "We look forward to celebrating Mary's career in this exciting season to come."