Update: According to The Hollywood Reporter, George Kotsiopoulos was "not invited back" to Fashion Police, which probably makes his return to the show very unlikely. In honor of the 2015 Golden Globes on Jan. 11, E!'s Fashion Police returned on Monday, Jan. 12 to discuss the red carpet looks, and there were a few changes to the show's lineup (we knew this day was coming). The late Joan Rivers and stylist George Kotsiopoulos were missing — and while it's been tough to adjust to the show without Joan, the sentimental part of me has to wonder, will George Kotsiopoulos ever come back to Fashion Police ?
After the death of Rivers, E! announced Kathy Griffin would join Fashion Police and attempt to fill the iconic funny lady's place (although, obviously, Rivers can never be replaced). But that wasn't the only adjustment to Season 5 of Fashion Police — Brad Goreski also replaced Kotsiopoulos. I enjoy Goreski on the show, but Kotsiopoulos had been on since the beginning, and there's just something about having familiar faces mocking celebrity style on this show.
It's hard to know if Kotsiopoulos will ever appear again on Fashion Police since he really never gave an official statement on why he left the show in the first place. We know he is keeping busy with his QVC clothing line — and it looks like he may even be showing up on the Jan. 22 episode of Lifetime's Project Runway All Stars to promote it. Kotsiopoulos retweeted the below tweet from a fan on Jan. 16:
Although George is nowhere to be seen in the preview of the Alyssa Milano-hosted series, the designers will be partnering with QVC for the challenge — so having Kotsiopoulos on the show is pretty much a no-brainer.
He also hosted the P&G Future Fabrics media event in New York on Jan. 14, 2015 — an event where guest speakers discussed the "latest advances in fabrics and how unconscious influences affect our clothing perceptions." With the P&G event taking place only two days after the premiere of Fashion Police, Kotsiopoulos is certainly making the most of his time off of the show.
Now, I wouldn't have left Fashion Police if it was an option for me. Not only do I love judging people, but also I desire to work next to Kelly Osbourne's phenomenal lavender hair. (Seriously, she looks so flawless. I really wanted it to be my new hair color — until I found out she has to get it done every week.) But Kotsiopoulos must have had his reasons. And from the Fashion Police's Globes coverage, it looks like Osbourne and Goreski are getting along just fine (they were in agreement for most of their verdicts).
Plus, Kotsiopoulos may have had a conflict of interest during the Fashion Police's Globes fashion roundup since he styled Melissa McCarthy for the Globes. (And for the record, hosts Griffin, Goreski, Osbourne, and Giuliana Rancic did not mention Kotsiopoulos' styling work.)
With Kotsiopoulos' schedule so full, it doesn't look promising for him to return to Fashion Police anytime soon. Changes are hard for us all, but just like fashion trends, styles adjust to the times we are living in. Although Kotsiopoulos is missed, I think it's time to accept and move on, fashion friends. He is styling and thriving all on his own.
