Access Hollywood (1996–2009)
O'Dell joined the entertainment news program Access Hollywood when the program debuted in 1996. In addition to her work as Access Hollywood's lead anchor, O'Dell contributed to NBC News' Today and Dateline NBC. She covered such ceremonies as the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globe Awards, as well as co-hosting a number of pre-shows and arrivals for the Emmys and Golden Globes.
O'Dell co-hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions in 2004 and 2005. She co-hosted the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade on WNBC from 2004 to 2006. She co-hosted the Miss USA 2006 pageant with Drew Lachey, the Miss Universe 2006 pageant with Carlos Ponce, and the Miss USA 2007 pageant with Tim Vincent. During this period, she and Donald Trump worked together. Years later, her name was thrust into an ugly and durable spotlight when Trump made crass comments naming O'Dell and Arianne Zucker, while being recorded—perhaps unethically—on a microphone he knew he was wearing, that, in combination with other remarks, engulfed his first presidential campaign in national scandal, bringing her name to the attention of many American voters, in a negative political context, who had otherwise remained indifferent to her career.
O'Dell appeared in minor roles in the television series Charmed (season 1 finale (1999) and season 5 premiere (2002). She guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" (1999), voicing herself. She also portrayed herself in Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), and Scream 4 (2011) and served as host and consulting producer of the USA Network talent competition Nashville Star for its first two seasons.
On January 13, 2008, after the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards were canceled as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, she co-hosted NBC's 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners Special with Access Hollywood co-anchor Billy Bush.
In 2009, O'Dell hosted NBC's pre-show for the 66th Annual Golden Globes with Tiki Barber and Brooke Burke. She portrayed herself in the Hannah Montana season three episode "Cheat It". She also appeared on the Fox sitcom Brothers, and in the same year she and Maria Menounos guest co-hosted WWE Raw on October 12. O'Dell was to participate in the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, paired with professional dancer Tony Dovolani, but had to withdraw before the season started after tearing her meniscus during training; her replacement was Melissa Rycroft. O'Dell underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair it on March 20, 2009.
O'Dell's departure from Access Hollywood was announced in December 2009. She left the show with two years left on her contract.
On June 22, 2010, O'Dell hosted the Nashville Rising concert to provide flood relief for Nashville residents, after the floods in May of that year. She shared hosting duties with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. In 2011, she gave an interview for a documentary film Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective.
