This is a significant career milestone for Wagmeister, showcasing CNN's commitment to premium entertainment coverage and positioning her as the go-to voice for Emmy season conversations.
Insiders note that this represents a rare crossover opportunity—Wagmeister moving beyond breaking news into long-form celebrity journalism, which could open doors to more on-camera hosting gigs.
The series is titled "Coming Up" and will air exclusively on CNN. Elizabeth Wagmeister has been a CNN entertainment correspondent since 2014 and has covered major awards shows extensively during her tenure at the network.
Wagmeister's new hosting gig signals she's ready to expand beyond hard news coverage—though whether this translates to a permanent primetime role remains to be seen as Emmy voting gets underway.
CNN is putting its entertainment correspondent front and center for this year's Emmy season. Elizabeth Wagmeister has been tapped to host "Coming Up," an exclusive pre-Emmy interview series airing on CNN, where she'll sit down with this year's most-nominated performers to discuss the stories behind their career-defining work. The timing couldn't be more strategic.
As television's top honor approaches, networks are scrambling to position themselves as the authority on prestige TV. By giving Wagmeister her own interviewer platform—rather than relegating her to red carpet commentary—CNN is signaling it wants a seat at the serious television journalism table alongside outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Wagmeister has built her reputation covering entertainment's highest-profile moments since joining CNN in 2014.
She's reported on everything from awards season chaos to studio shakeups, developing relationships with A-list talent that should serve her well for these conversations. The "Coming Up" format appears designed to go deeper than typical promotional interviews, promising nominees the space to reflect on their creative journeys rather than just plug current projects. The move also reflects a broader industry trend of networks investing in personality-driven coverage around tentpole events.
With streaming services flooding the marketplace and audiences increasingly fragmented, the Emmys remain one of the few moments when television gets genuine mainstream attention—and CNN clearly wants a piece of that spotlight. Whether "Coming Up" signals a permanent shift for Wagmeister into more hosting territory remains to be seen. But as Emmy voting kicks into high gear and nominees prepare their acceptance speeches, having an established journalist like Wagmeister conducting these conversations certainly raises the production's profile—and keeps CNN competitive in the entertainment coverage space.
For Wagmeister personally, this opportunity marks a natural evolution in her career trajectory. After more than a decade of breaking news and on-the-ground reporting, stepping into a hosting role allows her to showcase a different skill set—one centered on long-form conversation rather than rapid-fire updates. It's the kind of move that could redefine her position within CNN's entertainment division and potentially open doors beyond the network.
