On the Town with Giuliana Rancic

Rooftop city backdrop picture of Giuliana Rancic.

ON THE

TOWN

with

giuliana rancic

I had my mind set on this goal of being an entertainment reporter. Once I achieved that goal, then I was able to open my mind and realize that there are other things I like to do too.

Giuliana met husband, entrepreneur Bill Rancic, when she interviewed him after his win on the first season of the reality show The Apprentice in 2004. “We hit it off. He’s a great guy from the Midwest, and we just have so many of the same values.” They were engaged within 8 months and married the following year on September 1, 2007, in a ceremony at the Church of Santa Sophia in Anacapri, Italy. She and Bill were the stars of their reality show, Giuliana and Bill, from 2009 through 2014. The show included coverage of their struggles with fertility. Just prior to a third in vitro attempt, a required mammogram showed Giuliana had breast cancer. She received treatment and had a bilateral mastectomy. The couple continued with their desire to have a child and found a gestational surrogate. Their son Edward Duke was born in August of 2012. Becoming a mother refocused Giuliana’s career goals. “I stepped away from the daily show at E! a few years ago to be with my family and to also be able to focus on other businesses and hobbies that I was excited about,” she says. She still works the red carpet, but new ventures like her clothing line and Giuliana Prosecco have allowed her to grow as an entrepreneur. “I’ve been able to realize many of my dreams, but I’m a dreamer; I still have more to do,” Giuliana says.

Giuliana joined E! News as a reporter in 2002, and by 2005 was the solo anchor and managing editor, taking it from the lowest-rated show on the network to No. 1 within a year. Her time at the show had its challenges, too. She was fired shortly after her initial hiring for being rough around the edges, but ultimately her irreverence was what landed her the lead anchor position when E! wanted to change the show’s tone. She also co-hosted E!’s Fashion Police and E! Live from the Red Carpet for awards shows like the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. “I just used to do things differently than what you used to see on the red carpet. There wasn’t a script,” Giuliana says of her early success in the industry. She took cues from what was going on around the person she was interviewing to find her unique line of questioning. “You want to meet the real person and I’m such a fan of that,” she says. While she does the research needed for a successful interview, she also knows the secret comes down to one thing: “Just be in the moment.”

OFF THE CUFF

Battling breast cancer “was such a tough time in my life. But from it came Fab-U-Wish,” Giuliana says. She partnered with The Pink Agenda to create the foundation, which grants wishes to women fighting breast cancer to help them feel confident and beautiful during their battle. “It’s one of my proudest achievements. Nothing has been like the joy I feel through Fab-U-Wish and the work I’ve done through that program,” she says.

Giving back

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

Giuliana has published three books: Think Like a Guy: How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One, I Do, Now What?, Going Off Script

life at E! News

Opened RPM Italian restaurant in Chicago and launched G clothing line

2012

2014

Won a Daytime Emmy award for Fan Favorite

2015

Left E! News as co-host but continued red carpet coverage

2017

Launched Giuliana Prosecco with Terlato Wines

2018

Launched Fountain of Truth skin care line

2020

Launched August & Leo home line on HSN

Giulianna Rancic standing with no background.

asking

QUESTIONS

with giuliana rancic

Growing up in Naples, Italy, was amazing. I have a very big family. My mother and father are each one of six, so I have a lot of cousins. It was a really beautiful, fun, lively childhood. I remember a lot of food. Everything was based around our meals. Even though we moved to the States when I was a little girl, we did spend our summers in Italy, so it was really nice having a great combination of the two: of life here in the United States but also having that great connection to Italy that has never really gone away.

When we were approached to do it, it was not something we were into, being so open about our lives. But we felt like we could do a positive show and make marriage look cool and fun.

giuliana

prosecco

Available now at Hy-Vee, Giuliana prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, is refreshing and not too sweet. “Prosecco only needs to use 85% of the [Glera] grape. We use 100% of the grape,” Giuliana says. “Prosecco is something I enjoy all the time, not just special occasions,” Giuliana says. “I grew up with Prosecco on our table when I was a little girl. There’s something about the bubbliness that just makes you happy.” The sparkling wine is known for its light, frothy bubbles that disappear quickly after pouring. Giuliana Prosecco has notes of pear, apple and acacia blossom.

Find Giuliana prosecco at Hy-Vee and at Giuliana and Bill’s bar and restaurants around Chicago:

RPM Wine RPM Italian RPM Steak RPM Seafood

A display of the three cocktail recipes and a bottle of Giuliana Prosecco.

brunch cocktails

Aperol Betty

Sgroppino Dessert

Bicicletta Spritz

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We truly are a top-of-the-line, exquisite Prosecco at an amazing, attainable price point. That makes me happy because it truly is attainable luxury.

2005

Promoted to co-host, then solo anchor, for E! News

2002

Hired at E! News as a correspondent

2010

Began co-hosting Fashion Police

the rancics starred in the Reality Tv show giuliana and bill that aired for 7 seasons.

2021

Introduced Giuliana Prosecco at Hy-Vee

Watch Giuliana share her life story from E! to Entrepreneur

Giuliana joins the Beard Behind the Bar to make these delicious prosecco cocktails.

And more

The land of infinite opportunity met Giuliana Rancic with wide open arms when she immigrated to the United States from Naples, Italy, as a quiet 7-year-old child, and she wholeheartedly embraced it right back. Today, her two-decades-long career at entertainment network E! Entertainment Television has led to expanded business ventures, including Giuliana Prosecco, now available at Hy-Vee. “I saw the American Dream unfold firsthand coming to this country as a little girl and watched my parents work very hard. I think it was a beautiful thing and it’s definitely what I think instilled this work ethic in me,” says Giuliana. “My mother had two brothers who had moved to the United States, and they told us to come for a vacation—‘we’re going to love it!’ My father was in the fashion industry and just saw a lot of opportunity, and so basically, it was a very quick decision,” Giuliana says.

But instead of asking the expected political-beat questions, focused on the economy or foreign policy, she dove deep into what she wanted to know—answers about the person’s likes or dislikes, or their after-hours interests, such as when she asked Senator Ted Kennedy about his hobbies. “It was actually one of my professors, who said, ‘I feel like you’d be better suited for entertainment,’ just because I would put this fun spin on all my stories,” Giuliana says. The suggestion was the perfect marriage between her two childhood loves: news and Hollywood. A week after getting through school she landed in Los Angeles with one goal: getting her dream job at E!. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I knew no one. I didn’t have an uncle who lived there or a friend, or anything. I quickly got on the phones and started calling people and trying to find out if someone needed a roommate or an assistant, just looking for work,” she says. She worked as a hostess at a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, in retail and assisted on projects. “I did all sorts of jobs, but the one thing that really was a big thing for me at the time was, I went into a mail room at a talent agency,” says Giuliana. “In Hollywood, they tell young people, ‘If you want to be in the entertainment industry, start in a mail room and work your way up.’ It was a great way to meet people,” says Giuliana. During this time she started sending her reel to E! After 5 years she finally got the call to come in for an audition. “They received my submission, my headshot and resume and demo reel, through me sending it with friends at the agency, and they finally opened it,” Giuliana says. “I didn’t do great at my audition, but I did eventually get a call back several months later to try again. I got the job. And that was 20 years ago. It’s been a dream come true," she says.

What are some of your best childhood memories of Italy?

Can you tell me when you met Bill and how you knew he was Mr. Right?

I was a reporter at E! at the time when he won Celebrity Apprentice, and I said, “Oh my gosh, if there’s ever an opportunity to interview Bill Rancic, I want to interview Bill Rancic.” And then I finally got the opportunity. So I go to the interview, and for me, at least, it was love at first sight...once the cameras went off, we kept talking and talking, and at the end of the interview, Bill asked me out and we were engaged 8 months later. So we’ve been together 15 years, and he’s just amazing, you know? I still feel like he’s my boyfriend.

How has motherhood changed you?

Motherhood has changed my life in every way. There are so many incredible things I can say about it. But I noticed one thing about my relationship with my son early on. I love to laugh and I love having fun. I laugh with my friends, I laugh with my family, but I've got to tell you, when Duke makes me laugh, it comes from a different place than anyone else. It opens up this part of my heart. No one else can tap into that but my son. It’s beautiful. It’s been the greatest part of my life.

What were some of the biggest influences in your life?

Growing up in a very fashion-centric household: My father being in the fashion industy, my sister went on to be in the fashion industry. I think fashion, Hollywood, glamour and the red carpet, that was something that was always very interesting and exciting to me.

What did you do to get the job at E!?

I had been sending my reel to E! for probably five years and had no response. I had no leads at all; it was not working out for me. I wasn’t getting that dream job I thought I was going to get. And then the phone rang and it was E!. They said, “Do you want to come in for an audition?” I didn't really do great at my audition that first week. But I did eventually get a call several months later to come back and try again.

How did you find the strength to keep trying for 5 years?

I think I never gave up because I never could see myself doing anything else. It was just the love of it and the passion that kept me going. The idea that this is what I’m meant to do. I felt like there was no other option but to keep trying.

What was your back up plan if you didn’t ever get a job at E!?

I should have had a backup plan, but I didn’t! I can say this today, but I didn’t know this back then. Now I can say that I love business and entrepreneurship, and I’m a born entrepreneur. But I didn’t know that then. Now I know there are all sorts of things I love, but back then I truly had just my mind set on becoming an entertainment reporter and just doing that day in and day out because that’s what I love to do.

What career advice do you have for others?

Just do the work and you’ll get noticed. If you do a great job, you’ll get noticed. I have a “work hard and things will happen for you” mindset.

Why Prosecco?

I love Prosecco. I grew up with Prosecco on our table when I was a little girl growing up in Italy and also the United States. And one night, we were actually at one of our restaurants, one of the RPMs—it was RPM Italian—and I said, “You know, I haven’t found the best Prosecco yet.” And we had the idea, along with my partners in RPM, and my husband as well—we’re all partners in the RPM Group—to create our own Prosecco. And it’s just been such a joy.

What separates your brand, Giuliana Prosecco, from others?

A lot, actually. Our Prosecco is very, very high-end. It’s a DOC Prosecco. What that means is, it has to be made in one of two regions in Italy to be certified DOC, which is like the true, high-end, great Prosecco.

What’s your relationship with Hy-Vee been like?

When you said, “Hy-Vee,” I smiled. Hy-Vee’s been incredible. I just love the team here. Just today, we’ve had so much fun, and our phone calls have been great. We just connected. Sometimes, whether it’s in friendship or business, there has to be that connection, that authentic connection. And I can just tell, it’s amazing people, good people. And it’s just been a joy from day one. They understand my vision with the Prosecco; I understand Hy-Vee’s vision with the Prosecco and their direction with it. And I love that Hy-Vee trusts us to share us with their customers who are so beloved to them. It’s a wonderful business, a wonderful company.

I was definitely not always a confident person. I was insecure, like a lot of people, growing up, so it’s not like I had this crazy confidence or anything. I just knew who I was.

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Though the family spent summers in Italy, where most of Giuliana’s relatives lived, she felt an instant bond to the U.S. “I got to spend all this time with my cousins, who I had really only known as having lived in America. I never got to spend time with them before I moved here. So we had so much fun together and it was great,” Giuliana says. But getting to a level playing field with her new American schoolmates wasn’t as easy—it took determination and ingenuity to communicate with them and her teacher. “When I came here, I didn’t speak English. So learning the language was definitely tough,” Giuliana says. She buckled down and spent hours watching television programs to pick it up. She was especially intrigued by the evening news. Her father owned a store at White Flint Mall near Bethesda, Maryland, where she went to high school and tried a brief stint as a teen model after attending a school for modeling. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, then headed to American University for a master's degree. Her student work in Washington D.C. and at a news bureau covering Capitol Hill set her on the path to interviewing notable figures. “We had incredible access around the D.C. area. So on any given day, I was at the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, the White House. It was pretty incredible,” Giuliana says.

I saw the American Dream unfold firsthand coming to this country as a little girl and watched my parents work very hard. I think it was a beautiful thing and it’s definitely what I think instilled this work ethic in me.

I got to spend all this time with my cousins, who I had really only known as having lived in America. I never got to spend time with them before I moved here. So we had so much fun together and it was great.

Available in select states and select stores.

Aperol Betty

View Recipe

Sgroppino Dessert

Bicicletta Spritz