During this time, both Firestone and the show won many CableACE Awards, then the gold standard for cable television programming.
This criticism was renewed upon the release of the documentary OJ: Made In America which included an excerpt from the interview in which Firestone expresses these sentiments and where the "chumminess" is apparent.
In 1999, Up Close broadcasts were moved from studios in Los Angeles to the ESPN Zone in Anaheim, on Disneyland property.
Declining ratings and the rise of a confrontational style of talk eventually led to the show's cancellation, which occurred on Friday, October 19, 2001.
On May 27, 2021, SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele revealed during the show's noon ET episode that she would host a reboot of Up Close, exclusively on the digital subscription service ESPN+.