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How America's Most Wanted Served as an "Inspiration" for Paul Holes' Career

In an exclusive chat with E! News, Paul Holes discussed his new role on America's Most Wanted, co-star Elizabeth Vargas and more.

By Alyssa Ray Mar 22, 2021 4:15 PMTags
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Paul Holes is more than just an official expert on America's Most Wanted, he's a fan of the show too.

In an exclusive chat with E! News, the famed cold case investigator, who is best known for his work in the Golden State Killer case, opened up about his new role on the 2021 reboot of AMW. While Paul has seen quite a bit throughout his career, he said he was "nervous" to join the iconic series.

"I am very confident in terms of my ability to contribute to the cases," he started off. "But, of course, I want to be able to present to the viewers in a way that they understand the way I'm thinking and that will help catch these fugitives."

Despite his confidence, he admitted that joining an iconic brand is "nerve-wracking." As for whether he was familiar with the show before signing onto the reimagining, Paul confessed that he was a fan of the original America's Most Wanted.

"Oh no, I absolutely did watch it," he told E! News. "That was something that I would tune in—and it wasn't like I sat down every single time it aired, but it was something that if I happened to see it, I would watch it."

The original America's Most Wanted, which was hosted by John Walsh, ran on Fox between 1988 and 2011. There was a short-lived revival on Lifetime that ended in 2012.

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Per Paul, he'd often be "drawn into John Walsh and his passion about catching fugitives." In fact, as Paul detailed it, the long-running crime show "in many ways" was "an inspiration for what I did during the course of my career."

He went on to highlight how John overcame the 1981 murder of his son, Adam, "to do good for so many other families and other victims." Clearly, John's victim rights work left a lasting impression on Paul.

Kareem Black/Oxygen

Now, almost ten years later, the beloved series is back with journalist Elizabeth Vargas at the helm. And, according to Paul, Elizabeth is already making the hosting role her own.

"I am so impressed with Elizabeth," he said. "She, obviously, comes from a news background, she has such an attention to detail. Plus, she has tremendous compassion for the victims of the fugitives."

Paul went on to praise Elizabeth for the way she presented the information with accuracy and for allowing "her own personality to come forward."

"I'm just amazed," he concluded. "I'm sitting behind her working on cases as she's presenting to the viewers and how she's able to keep everything just flowing and have such…her own aura about her, if you will, she is truly a professional and just an amazing person."

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You can catch more of Paul and Elizabeth on all-new episodes of America's Most Wanted, which airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.

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