Joel McHale helped E! to relaunch "The Soup" franchise in 2004 and he will help bring it to a close, hosting the final episode next month. The weekly comedy series has skewered everyone in entertainment from the Kardashians to court TV shows for 22 years.
"We are incredibly proud of the long-running success of 'The Soup," said Jeff Olde, EVP of Programming & Development for E! "'The Soup' has delivered countless laughs and unforgettable episodes, and we are grateful to the talented team's fearless wit and clever approach week after week. Joel took the show to new heights for more than a decade, and his irreverent humor and unique brand of comedy as captured so perfectly on 'The Soup' will be missed."
McHale has balanced his 12-year hosting gig with six seasons on "Community" and other movie roles. He will be seen next in "The X-Files" reboot on Fox starting in January.
The 43-year-old comedian is the fifth person to host the E! series, which formerly went by the name, "Talk Soup." Previous hosts included Greg Kinnear (1991-1995), John Henson (1995-1999), Hal Sparks (1999-2000) and Aisha Tyler (2001-2002).
The final episode of "The Soup" will run on Friday, Dec. 18 at 10 p.m. on E!
