#E! EVP John Najarian departing network amid NBCUniversal layoffs

John Najarian, executive vice president and publisher at E!, is the latest departure to hit the beleaguered network, Page Six has confirmed.

We’re told Najarian, who is based in Los Angeles, will leave E! at the end of the year to pursue other digital opportunities. He broke the news to his team on Monday.

He joined the network in 2001.

Najarian’s exit comes after the coronavirus pandemic hit NBCUniversal hard, resulting in layoffs across the company and its smaller networks.

A rep for E! declined to comment, while Najarian didn’t immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

E! announced it was canceling shows “In the Room,” “Pop of the Morning” and flagship “E! News” as a result of the economic havoc the pandemic wreaked on the company.

The cancellations meant layoffs within the New York-based production team, though the company was said to be trying to move some people into other roles within the company.

As a result of the restructuring, the new iterations of “Access Hollywood” and “E! News” have been forced to share a studio, which Page Six exclusively reported caused tensions between the shows’ staffers and talent.

E! first experienced layoffs when its signature show, “E! News,” first moved from Los Angeles to New York in 2019 under former “Today” vet Tammy Filler’s direction and it laid off 20 to 25 people. Following the announcement of the show’s move, then-E! network president Adam Stotsky announced his exit.

Page Six exclusively reported in August that a slew of layoffs would also affect NBC News, which produces flagships including “NBC Nightly News” and the “Today” show.

E! currently runs “Daily Pop” on weekdays and “Nightly Pop” four nights per week. The network’s “The Bradshaw Bunch” season finale will air Thursday, Nov. 5.