Pinecone covered in glitter for a forced arts & crafts project and longtime E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic announced yesterday that she would be leaving her highly-visible job to spend more time with her line of wines. Today, Page Six reports the real reason Rancic’s on her way out: Maria fucking Menounos.

Menounos joined E! last year and has (apparently) been hosting a weekly show called Untold with Maria Menounos on the network. This does not please Rancic. Per Page Six’s “insider”:

It’s the battle of the bitches. They’re like oil and water. They cannot stand each other. They’ve always been rivals. Maria sees Giuliana as competition and it goes back years. They never speak and they won’t appear on-set together. It’s kind of unspoken that if she is in the building, Giuliana wants nothing to do with her.

Now, according to this “insider,” Menounos is going to take over Rancic’s job: “Giuliana knows it’s a sinking ship and she’s had an awful year. It’s half her decision to leave and half getting pushed out.”

While an E! News rep denied this to Page Six, the New York Daily News also reports that Menounos will be the new E! News anchor—over Rancic’s dead body. The News’ source claims the network wants Rancic to “pass the baton” to Menounos on air. Rancic, of course, has reportedly said “no way” to this request.

While E! may think replacing Rancic with Menounos will give the network a much-needed infusion of oxygen, network execs beware: viewers will accept no Giuliana Rancic imitators. In January, when Menounos filled in for Rancic on the SAG Awards red carpet, Twitter fans revolted.

Just something to keep in mind.

Neither Rancic nor Menounos have commented on their respective deals with E! or the rumors that they hate each other. As always, if you know what’s going on at E! News, comment below or email allie@gawker.com.

Photos via Getty. Contact the author at allie@gawker.com.