Access Hollywood, formerly known as Access from 2017 through 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently executive produced by Maureen FitzPatrick and directed by Richard Plotkin. In previous years, Doug Dougherty, Christopher A. Berry and Kim Anastasia directed the program. Access primarily focuses on news in the music, television, and film industries.

Access Hollywood has aired nationally on various local stations, most of them affiliates of NBC, in the United States since September 9, 1996. It was previously produced by NBC Studios and has changed distributors over the years, first with New World/Genesis Distribution, then 20th Television (after News Corporation bought New World), followed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution who still distributes the show today via barter ad-sales, and then to NBC Enterprises when the network started up its own syndication division. Today, NBCUniversal Television Distribution, in association with NBC's owned-and-operated station KNBC has been solely responsible for its production and distribution since 2004. Warner Bros. continues its involvement with the program by having responsibilities for barter ad sales for Access Hollywood.

On September 13, 2010, Access Hollywood began broadcasting in high definition.^[1] On May 1, 2012, NBCUniversal Television Distribution announced it would renew Access Hollywood for three additional years through the 2014-15 season.^[2]

The program changed its name to simply Access on December 11, 2017.^[3]

On August 22, 2019, it was officially announced that Access and Access Live will receive an on-air refresh for their 24th and 10th seasons, respectively, with new names, logos, graphics and theme music, starting on September 9. Access will return to its original Access Hollywood name and begin airing live in the East Coast, with Access Live also rebranding as Access Daily. The program will also debut a second spin-off entitled All Access - which will feature long-form reports on true-crime and human interest stories and air initially on six NBC owned-and-operated stations. Former Extra host Mario Lopez will also join all three programs as co-host.^[4]

In 2005, Access Hollywood went on a month-long roadtrip called Access Across America while the studio underwent a major overhaul. The show's new set was done in pastel colors with a modern flair, separating its look from other similar shows, including rival Entertainment Tonight. The new look also included a brand-new graphics package. Access Hollywood is taped at Studio 1 at The Burbank Studios (formerly NBC Studios) in Burbank, former home of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Currently with Days of Our Lives, it was one of two remaining NBC-produced programs as of 2014 originating from Burbank; Access Hollywood moved to Universal City and Universal Studios Hollywood in 2015 as NBC's operations continue to combine in Universal City.

The program has had some short-lived spinoffs in the last few years, including AMC Access for the AMC channel, and Real Access (the first teen-oriented entertainment news program, and the only attempt so far at an entertainment news program aimed at teens on television) for The N and Nickelodeon. The network most recently produced the African-American oriented TV One Access for the TV One cable channel. The programs formerly did entertainment segments for NBC's cable news channel titled MSNBC

A spinoff of Access Hollywood, called Access Hollywood Live, debuted on September 13, 2010. The daytime talk show - currently hosted by Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover and Scott Evans, features entertainment news stories and in-studio guests. The program was initially seen only on NBC owned-and-operated stations in six markets^[5] and Fox owned-and-operated stations in six other major markets,^[6] all on stations that already carry the flagship series; since September 2011, the program also began being distributed to non-network owned stations that also carry the flagship series. The show airs live at 11:00am ET (8:00am in Los Angeles where the studios are located). The show changed its name to Access Live on December 11, 2017, and again to Access Daily on September 9, 2019.

Access Daily was originally recorded at NBC Studios in Burbank, California; it currently broadcasts from 10 Universal City Plaza in Universal City, California, where it has been recorded since June 2015. On occasion, the program broadcasts shows on location outside Studio 1A on the Today plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City. On May 1, 2012, along with Access Hollywood's renewal for three additional seasons, NBCUniversal Television Distribution announced it would give Access Hollywood Live a third season renewal for the 2012-13 season.^[2]

In Canada, Rogers Media's OMNI Television airs the US version of Access Live while independent station CHCH began airing the half hour weekday US version in fall 2014; Bell Media channel CTV Two used to air the half hour weekday US version since fall 2011 but it was discontinued in 2013.

The United Kingdom version began in 2003 hosted by Kate Garraway and Vincent.

There was a short-lived national version for the Republic of Ireland on the TV3 Group's defunct Channel 6 hosted by Jenny Buckley from 2006.