Nancy O’Dell was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and grew up in Myrtle Beach. She graduated from Coastal Academy High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Clemson University, graduating summa cum laude in 1990. She began broadcasting at WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach before moving to WCBD-TV in Charleston, where her reporting included investigative work on DUI enforcement.

O’Dell moved to Miami and worked as an investigative reporter and co-anchor at WTVJ before joining Access Hollywood when the entertainment newsmagazine launched in 1996. She became a co-anchor in 1999 and spent 13 years with the program, covering major events including the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globes. She also expanded into entertainment and competition programming, hosting the first two seasons of Nashville Star and several major pageants.

In 2011, O’Dell joined Entertainment Tonight as a co-host, succeeding longtime anchor Mary Hart, and remained with the program until August 2019. Since then, she has continued working across television, including HGTV’s Celebrities at Home, People The TV Show, and Crime Exposé with Nancy O’Dell. The latter premiered in 2024 and remains an active hosting role, with new episodes released in 2026.