Major CNN Anchor Is Quitting: Jim Acosta Is Out

CNN viewers will no longer see longtime correspondent Jim Acosta on the news network. In recent years, Acosta’s popularity grew for holding interview subjects to account. A recent weekday lineup change confirmed he would be without anchoring duties during daytime hours, something he seemingly disagreed with. Variety reports Acosta made the announcement at the end of his Jan. 28 broadcast, telling viewers to “hold power to account” and that “It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.” Other outlets reported the decision to leave was Acosta’s, despite the network preparing to keep him but during overnight eastern standard time hours. 

“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” the network said in a statement about his exit. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”

CNN reportedly was eager to change Acosta’s timeslot to air between midnight and 2 a.m., which the network has used in the past to show repeats of its primetime schedule for viewers on the west coast. The show was described as “an opportunity to open a new front that would deliver breaking news to viewers in California and overseas.” Others say it’s due to the ongoing controversy Acosta and the network has been under by the current White House administration. 

As for what Acosta is expected to do next, he’s reportedly set to seek out new ventures, including the launch of his own digital subscription product, one that could feature his interviews and accountability reporting. Many journalists are moving to such a method, including former CNN anchor, Don Lemon. Speaking on his show, Acosta said he considered journalism to be “a public service.”