Nepo, Baby! AMC Networks Names James Dolan’s Wife, Kristin Dolan, as CEO

Wilson Chapman
·3 min read
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Updated: Hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Kristin Dolan, the wife of James Dolan, was a candidate for CEO of AMC Networks, she officially has the top job. Kristin Dolan will begin as chief executive officer on February 27, according to a Wednesday-afternoon SEC Filing; her term is currently scheduled to last at least to March 31, 2026.

Before serving on the AMC Networks board and her work at the data-analytics firm 605, Kristin Dolan worked as Cablevision’s chief operating officer from 2014 to 2016.

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Last November, AMC Networks CEO Christina Spade left the company after less than three months on the job. Shortly afterwards, company chairman James L. Dolan assumed the temporary role of interim executive chairman while the board of directors looks for a suitable chief executive. They didn’t have to stray too far away from home, because Dolan’s wife is apparently one of the top candidates for the job.

Kristin Dolan, a member of AMC’s board, is on the short list to be chief executive, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Dolans married in 2002, and according to the Journal are currently separated, but remain close.

Although Kristin Dolan isn’t an official company employee — she runs data analytics firm 605, which was founded in 2016 — the Journal says she keeps an office on the company’s executive floor and is very involved with her husband and the executive team. The company’s search for CEO has not yet been finalized, with recruiter company Sucherman Group helping vet candidates, so don’t stencil her name on the corner office door just yet. (Who are we kidding, she probably already has a corner — or two.)

AMC’s org. chart already resembled the Dolan Family tree. James Dolan is the son of Charles Dolan, the famed founder of HBO and Cablevision, and the controlling owner of AMC Networks. The family owns several other companies, including MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports, and BBC America. James Dolan succeeded his father as chairman of AMC in 2020 — though you mostly known James Dolan as the guy who ran the New York Knicks into the ground and banned legendary player Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden.

The same day Spade exited AMC, Dolan announced “large-scale layoffs” at the company, attributing his decision to poor gains from the streaming division, which houses AMC+ and specialty services like Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK, and the anime-focused HIDIVE.

AMC forecasts those streamers will collectively reach 20-25 million subscribers by the end of 2025; currently, they have a combined 11.1 million paid subs. AMC Networks will report its fourth-quarter earnings on Friday.

Wall Street doesn’t seem to totally hate the (continuing) nepotism idea: AMC stock (AMCX) is trading up nearly 8 percent today. But that’s probably not about Kristin Dolan; the Wall Street Journal also revealed on Wednesday that Roku approached AMC Networks about a potential acquisition 18 months ago.

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