CNN’s Allison Gollust Resigns After Investigation Into Chris Cuomo and Jeff Zucker

Allison Gollust has stepped down from her chief marketing officer role at CNN following a third-party investigation into the news network amid recent controversy surrounding Chris Cuomo and Jeff Zucker.

The announcement was made in a memo from WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar that was shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo,” Kilar’s memo read, in part.

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Kilar added: “I realize this news is troubling, disappointing, and frankly, painful to read. These are valid feelings many of you have. We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally. Given the information provided to me in the investigation, I strongly believe we have taken the right actions and the right decisions have been made.”

In response to the memo, Gollust sent an exit email to her former colleagues, obtained by THR, that criticized WarnerMedia’s handling of her departure.

“WarnerMedia’s statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks,” her message read. “It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN’s highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave. But I do so with my head held high, knowing that I gave my heart and soul to working with the finest journalists in the world.”

Zucker resigned as chairman of WarnerMedia news and sports, and the president of CNN, on Feb. 2 after he was asked about a personal relationship with Gollust, who led marketing and communications for CNN.

The questioning was part of the network’s investigation into Cuomo, who was fired in December for conduct relating to brother Andrew Cuomo after the then-New York governor was accused of sexual harassment.

The New York Times reported that an ABC News employee reached out to CNN’s general counsel with an allegation of sexual misconduct against Chris Cuomo.

During a statement issued Feb. 2, Zucker acknowledged he was “wrong” to not have disclosed his relationship with Gollust “when it began.”

For her part, Gollust stated then that she and Zucker had been friends and colleagues for more than 20 years but that the “relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time.”

Their professional partnership goes back to Gollust leading Zucker’s corporate communications team at NBC before reuniting with him at CNN in 2013.

Replacing Zucker at CNN on an interim basis are Michael Bass, who oversees CNN programming; Ken Jautz, leading operations, business affairs and HLN; and Amy Entelis, in charge of talent and content development.

Zucker had been a driving force behind the company’s streaming service, CNN+, leaving its future plans in doubt.

Feb. 15, 7:07 p.m. Updated with Gollust’s statement.

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