Elizabeth Wagmeister

Elizabeth Wagmeister is an award-winning multimedia entertainment journalist. She joined CNN as the network’s entertainment correspondent in December 2023.

Elizabeth was named onto Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019. In 2022, she was honored as Best Anchor and Host of the year by the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, which has also nominated her twice as Journalist of the Year.

From 2014-2023, Elizabeth was at Variety magazine where she most recently held the position of chief correspondent for the venerable trade publication. In 2023, Elizabeth was nominated for an Emmy for her role as co-host and producer of the PBS series, "Actors on Actors.” From 2016-2019, Elizabeth was co-host of the nationally syndicated newsmagazine "Page Six TV” on the Fox TV stations.

Elizabeth’s versatile range of skills gives her the unique ability to pivot from intrepid investigative reporter to relatable television host. She balances many roles as a broadcaster, red carpet reporter and writer.

Elizabeth has established herself as a leading voice in entertainment news by breaking highly influential stories, including the bombshell Matt Lauer investigation, which dominated the global news cycle and resulted in swift impact. Elizabeth was the face of Variety’s Harvey Weinstein coverage with live reports every day from the New York City criminal courthouse for the duration of the historical two-month rape trial, and more recently, Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial. Elizabeth also led Variety’s coverage of the Britney Spears conservatorship case in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth’s journalistic work is frequently recognized by the industry. In addition to making the Forbes 30 Under 30 media list, Elizabeth was selected in 2021 as a Top Women in Media honoree. She has won numerous NAEJ awards and LA Press Club awards, and has been honored twice by the Webby Awards.

During her near decade at Variety, Elizabeth wrote numerous cover stories, including exclusive sit-downs with the Kardashian-Jenner family, ahead of their Hulu deal, and with Colton Underwood, who became the first star of “The Bachelor” to come out as gay. Elizabeth regularly contributed to Variety’s wildly popular Power of Women and Young Hollywood issues. She also launched and anchored Variety’s flagship news series, “The Take,” which streamed weekly.

Elizabeth began her broadcast career with frequent guest spots across national and local news, serving as an entertainment expert. In 2016, she landed a weekly segment on "Good Day LA,” and since, has been seen regularly on “Good Morning America,” "The Talk," "Access Hollywood," "Entertainment Tonight," "Extra," "Today," "CBS This Morning," “ABC Nightline,” CNN, Fox Business and “The Wendy Williams Show” where she has frequently served as a guest co-host.

For 2019-2023, Elizabeth joined ABC News and “Good Morning America” as a special contributor throughout award season and was part of ABC’s official Oscars red carpet pre-show for four years. In 2023, she was co-host of the official Golden Globes red carpet pre-show, produced by Dick Clark Productions.

As one of three hosts of the nightly entertainment news series, "Page Six TV," Elizabeth served as the expert on the “business of show-business,” bringing credibility, reporting and journalistic skills to a celebrity gossip show. Elizabeth was recruited, without an agent, for “Page Six TV,” which was her first-ever audition. After more than a year of screen tests by Endemol Shine North America and Fox’s 20th Television, she was the only original talent individual from nationwide auditions who was ultimately hired to launch “Page Six TV,” which became Fox’s top-rated summer test run in 2016, before launching into national syndication for two seasons. After initially being cast as a panelist, Elizabeth was promoted to official co-host.

Known for asking smart and tough questions, Elizabeth knows how to nab a newsworthy soundbite in high-pressure scenarios with limited time – not to mention, talent enjoys talking to her and appreciates her extensive preparation, comfortable demeanor and knowledge in the entertainment space. Her coverage was among Variety’s most-viewed video content online, and her interviews often go viral on social media. She also has covered major festivals from Sundance to Cannes to SXSW, and is an award season expert from the Oscars to Emmys to VMA’s.

Prior to Variety, Elizabeth was the Senior Entertainment Editor at Bonnie Fuller’s HollywoodLife.com where, at 24-years-old, Fuller hand-picked her to run the site’s TV and film vertical for an audience of 35+ million unique visitors. Her YouTube videos amassed more than 30 million views during her eight months at the company, before she was recruited to move across the country for Variety.

Elizabeth started her career at TV Guide Magazine as the assistant to the editor-in-chief and rose the ranks as a writer and reporter.

During her junior year of college, she was one of 25 students and the only representative from California selected for the prestigious Associated Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) internship program, before graduating from UC Santa Barbara with dual degrees in communication and multimedia writing. While she was a student at UCSB, Elizabeth held many internships, including working the assignment desk at Fox 11 KTTV. She launched her university’s HerCampus chapter, becoming one of the first 10 college journalists in the country to work for Her Campus Media, which is now in more than 340 universities in the United States. Elizabeth was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and has resided in both L.A. and NYC.