Meredith Vieira Leaving 'Millionaire' After 11 Seasons For More NBC Work
After 11 seasons, television personality Meredith Vieira chose not to renew her contract to be the host of the U.S. game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Reuters reported Thursday.
Vieira will remain on new episodes that will air through May and will appear on repeats of the show that will play over the summer before a new host takes over in the fall.
"It's the final year of Meredith's contract. She has chosen to move on and pursue other opportunities. We are searching for a new host," said a spokesperson for Disney/ABC Television Group.
Vieira said Thursday she is leaving "Millionaire" to pursue other venues such as more work at NBC News, according to Access Hollywood. An executive close to Vieira's plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been announced to the press yet, said Vieira will launch her own YouTube channel that will focus on stories of people's lives.
The Emmy winner was also the host of NBC's "Today" from 2006 to 2011 and co-host on ABC's talk show "The View" for nine years prior to that. She has been the host of the U.S. version of "Millionaire" since its launch in 2002 and the quiz show won her two Daytime Emmy Awards, one in 2005 and one in 2009. She also co- executive produced 363 episodes of the show, according to IMDb.
Vieira also has her own production company. She produced the film "Return" and the touring play "Life in a Marital Institution (20 Years of Monogamy in One Terrifying Hour)."
"Millionaire" originated in the United Kingdom and famed the popular question "Is that your final answer?" It was also the inspiration behind the 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire," which won a Best Picture Oscar.
