Nancy Grace says goodbye to HLN
Nancy Grace. Ga Fullner / Shutterstock.com
Former Atlanta prosecutor Nancy Grace hosted her last true-crime show on HLN on Thursday.
Grace’s last show included clips from some of her most popular segments, including her coverage of the Casey Anthony case, the Associated Press reports. Grace ended the show by thanking her fans and saying, “It’s not goodbye, it’s just good night friend.”
Known for her pro-prosecution take on the news, Grace broke HLN viewership records with her coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, Slate reports. “But in recent years,” Slate says, Grace “has seen her cultural relevance fade.” Her show’s cable-news rankings dropped from 18th in 2011 to 45th this past September.
Grace has said tragedy led to her own interest in justice. She was only 19 when her fiancé was murdered outside a convenience store.
Her righteous indignation backfired, according to the Slate profile, when she pointed the finger at accused wrongdoers who weren’t charged or were later exonerated.
According to Slate, Grace misidentified Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper and “became one of the loudest voices condemning the Duke lacrosse players accused of rape. It’s unnerving to watch her coverage of the scandal now, to see her seethe with contempt from the moment the players’ mug shots appeared on her screen. ‘I’m so glad they didn’t miss a lacrosse game over a little thing like gang rape!’ she declared on one show.” The prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse case was later disbarred for his actions in the case.
Grace’s show will be replaced by a legal show anchored by Ashleigh Banfield.
