Another Major CNN Anchor Quits: Latest on Amara Walker

CNN can’t catch a break. Amid major layoffs and schedule changes, another anchor has announced they’re exiting the network. Deadline reports  Amara Walker, co-anchor of CNN This Morning Weekend, is departing the network after more than a decade. “I’ve decided to seize on this moment of change in our industry and take a hiatus from TV news. I’m a journalist at heart, but I have other professional passions as well. The timing couldn’t be better to embark on the next chapter,” she said in a statement.  She also anchors CNN Newsroom on CNN Max and CNN International, airing Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET.

She cited her desire to want to explore other opportunities as the reason for her exit. “I have other professional goals that I haven’t been able to pursue given my full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule,” she said. “I’m excited about all that is to come and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Last year, she took home the Emmy for her breaking news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, among a number of international crises she has covered. Reflecting on the moment, she expressed gratitude. “In my 10 years with CNN, I’ve had the privilege of working on nearly all of its platforms, as an anchor for CNN, CNN International, and CNN Max, and also as a correspondent. Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing on the cake. I felt this is the right time to take this step,” she said. 

Walker’s exit comes just days after Jim Acosta announced his exit. He became known for holding interview subjects to account. 

A recent weekday lineup change confirmed he his anchoring duties were axed. 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.” The network however planned to keep him on and revamp his time to an overnight slot.

“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.”