Mary Hart leaving Entertainment Tonight

Mary Hart is leaving Entertainment Tonight after 30 years anchoring the latest celebrity news. She stated that she is leaving the syndicated pop-culture show at the end of this coming season.

In a statement she released to the public she says, “I’ve reached a point when I clearly realize it’s time for a change. There are many things I want to do in my life, and I’d better get on with them. 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.”

According to Reuters Canada, one of the possible reasons for Hart’s departure is due to a 50 per cent pay cut the anchor accepted for this upcoming season, cutting her five million dollar annual salary in half.

Though we’ll no longer see Hart’s extreme sunny disposition and gleaming white teeth gracing our screens every evening, the 59-year-old host says she has no plans of retiring, telling reporters that there are other opportunities out there.

“Time has flown by. I consider myself the luckiest person on the face of the Earth. Every time my contract has come up, I’ve said ‘That’s it.’ I said it at 15 years. I said it at 20 years. I said it at 25 years … I’m not gunning for 40 years.”

The former English teacher from Sioux Falls, S.D., has been with ET since its inception in 1982, working prominently with John Tesh. Her rumoured replacement is The Insider anchor Lara Spencer, to help attract a younger audience. A risky endeavor, considering The Insider’s ratings has dropped in every key demographic since the 2006-07 season, according to Nielsen Media Research. To compare, ET has continuously garnered a solid lead in many markets.

Other rumoured candidates include ET’s weekend anchor and former Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris.