CNN’s embattled chief ousted after staff revolt over Donald Trump interview
The boss of CNN has been ousted following a backlash over the left-wing news channel’s recent interview with Donald Trump and a damaging magazine profile.
Chris Licht was appointed chairman and chief executive of CNN just 13 months ago after making his name as a TV producer.
But his tenure was plagued by a series of programming missteps and controversies that sparked a revolt among the network’s staff.
Most recently, Mr Licht drew fierce criticism over his decision to host Donald Trump in a town hall last month that was packed with the former president’s supporters.
Staff were said to be furious that the channel had given air to lies and misinformation spread by Mr Trump, who has been impeached twice.
Mr Licht defended the move, saying the network had “made a lot of news”.
The CNN boss’s reputation fell further following the publication of a 15,000-word profile piece in The Atlantic that revealed details of his troubled tenure.
Mr Licht apologised to staff on Monday, but his fate was confirmed by David Zaslav, chief executive of parent company Warner Bros Discovery, on a company-wide call this morning.
In a statement, Mr Zaslav said: “I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally.
“The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it.
“While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.”
The press release did not include a statement from Mr Licht.
Mr Licht was selected to lead CNN by Mr Zaslav following the shock departure of his predecessor Jeff Zucker, who resigned in the wake of revelations about his relationship with a colleague.
Mr Licht was a well-known name in TV, having served as executive producer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Prior to that he held a senior role at CBS News and launched MSNBC’s popular news show Morning Joe.
But his tenure at CNN suffered a rocky start as he announced the closure of CNN+, the channel’s new streaming service, only a month after its launch.
The decision, which was made before the TV boss had officially taken up his role, resulted in hundreds of job losses.
Ratings plummeted under his tenure and following further programming missteps, including a disastrous morning show featuring Don Lemon that resulted in the presenter losing his job in April.
The mood among CNN employees darkened last year as the company embarked on a sweeping round of job cuts as it battled to cut costs amid declining viewing figures.
Among those made redundant was Brian Stelter, CNN’s long-serving media correspondent, who attacked the network’s bosses in an on-air monologue during his final show.
Warner Bros Discovery said it had put an interim leadership team in place following Mr Licht’s departure, including programming bosses Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling.
David Leavy, who was appointed chief operating officer last week by Mr Zaslav in a bid to steady the ship, will oversee the commercial side of CNN’s operations.
