This morning the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the Discovery Channel has ended its relationship with its beetle-eating megastar Bear Grylls. According to the story, the dispute concerns two unnamed projects that Discovery wanted Grylls to participate in. Discovery issued a terse statement: “Due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him.”
That's predictably buttoned-up wording from Discovery's always conservative publicity team, but chances are there's more to it. While Man vs Wild has recently pulled in fewer viewers than hits like Gold Rush, Grylls has remained—by far—the network's most recognizable face. Grylls hasn't replied to requests for comment but did issue a statement saying, “Unfortunately, Bear and Discovery have not been able to come to mutual agreement on new programming, and he disagrees with Discovery's decision to terminate current productions.” We'll keep you posted as the story develops. My question: who leaked the news—a slighted Grylls or an annoyed Discovery? One thing's sure: according to Discovery, the channel will continue to air reruns of Man vs. Wild.
–Abe Streep
@abestreep