Former ET Canada correspondent Morgan Hoffman tells TV Week about her new role on Global’s The Morning Show

Morgan Hoffman is a familiar face to Canadian television viewers from her four years on ET Canada, having joined in 2019. When Global announced late last year that it was cancelling the show after 18 seasons, Hoffman wound up being tapped by The Morning Show as entertainment reporter.

Hoffman recently sat down with TV Week to discuss how she unexpectedly transitioned into her new role in daytime television.

TV WEEK: You went through a pretty profound, unexpected shakeup with ET Canada suddenly being cancelled. Can you walk us through that experience — from losing that job to landing a new one at The Morning Show, also unexpectedly?

MORGAN HOFFMAN: I didn’t expect any of this [laughs]. The show being cancelled was so heartbreaking for so many of us. I mean, this was a team I actually loved and we were so proud of what we were doing. I was so happy to be a part of the ET name. I truly, truly thought that I would take a timeout, that I would potentially even shift gears in my career. I was pretty open to taking some time off to figure things out. And then a month later, I heard about this position [at Global], I interviewed for it, and even then, I was told this role was “evolving.”

Is there any scarier phrase than: “The situation is evolving?” You’re like, “What does that mean?”

Oh, I didn’t know! I had chats with my family, I talked to people in the industry — I didn’t know. It was a very scary time — because a lot had gone on, too [in my personal life]. I’ll be really honest: I had just lost my dad a few weeks before the show was cancelled. So, it was truly a very overwhelming time. Then this happened . . . I’m so happy on The Morning Show. It exceeded my expectations. This is probably the happiest I’ve ever been on a show in television in Canada.

ET Canada was pre-recorded, but The Morning Show goes out live. What has that been like for you?

I had a bit of experience with live television when I did Entertainment Tonight Canada Live — which was just on YouTube and Facebook. Doing a live show like The Morning Show, I thought I was going to be more nervous — and I love it. It’s exciting. I watch Jeff [McArthur] and Carolyn [Mackenzie], who honest to God make it look so easy, and it is not. I have kind of fallen in love with entertainment all over again. Not to say that I wasn’t happy doing that on ET Canada, but for some reason being on The Morning Show has just made me love it even more.

You mentioned getting nervous. You’ve interviewed so many massive stars. Do you still get nerves? Is it ever a case of, “Oh, Meryl Streep? Just another day at the office!”

That never goes away. Someone did tell me, “When it goes away, you need to get out of entertainment.” Maybe some people handle it better than I do. I have interviewed some pretty big names in the industry, but I was at the most recent TIFF last year and Oprah was standing next to me. Someone was interviewing her, and I was told, “You will absolutely not get her. She’s probably not doing any press.” The one person that she answered a question for happened to be standing next to me. And I was shaking — involuntarily shaking. I wasn’t expecting to have such a physical reaction to seeing her. Even knowing I wasn’t going to get a question, I was ready to yell out my question when she walked by me. And honestly, I think she probably just felt my stare. She looked over at me and said, “Alright, let’s go. One question.” [Laughs] So I got to have one question with her, and it was such a moment. I was so nervous, but because of my years of experience, especially on red carpets, especially at TIFF, there was a confidence there to be ready. But the nerves? My legs were shaking for a good 10 minutes after.

Looking back on the early days, did you ever struggle to figure out: “How am I going to distinguish myself as an interviewer in this business?”

Yes, big time. I had people I worked with who had “shticks,” who really made it about themselves, and that really worked — almost like they were the celebrity as well. And so, I definitely went through a period of trying to figure out what my “thing” was or “How do I stand out?” And, honest to God, my personal favourite interviews are when good questions are asked — but it’s all about the person I’m interviewing. It’s not really about me. If I’ve made a viewer learn something new or feel excited about what one of their favourite actors is saying, I’ve done my job. I’m happy with that. As long as I look comfortable and I can bring the best out of somebody I’m interviewing, I’m a happy girl.

The Morning Show airs weekdays on Global