Major CNN Anchor Will Be Fired in 2024, Media Executive Predicts

The CNN anchor lineup could be poised for change, if one media executive's prediction for 2024 pans out. CNBC's Alex Sherman recently asked 13 past/present media executives about what's ahead for the industry in 2024, with their answers published anonymously. One of those anonymous execs offered a worrisome prediction concerning CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery's news organization.

The anonymous submitter, identified only as "Executive 11," thinks CNN will have to fire one of its major TV personalities. He attributes the prediction to the company's need to free up its budget to produce digital products that aren't reliant on the declining cable business.

"This executive predicted CNN won't be able to up its digital spending without cutting back on a declining linear TV business — and that will mean letting go of at least one of its big-name anchors to save cash," Sherman relayed in his report. "The move will usher in a new era at CNN, where star anchors are no longer the focus of the company."

This unnamed executive threw no names around in his prediction. CNN currently employs some major media personalities, including Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Van Jones, Chris Wallace, Jake Tapper, Jim Acosta, Dana Bash, Kaitlan Collins, Audie Cornish, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, John King and Abby Phillip.

CNN has been through a rough couple of years since the ousting of Jeff Zucker and the pains that came with the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery. Plus, there was the firing of leader Chris Licht, the firing of Don Lemon, show cancellations, talent departures, schedule shakeups, a racial discrimination lawsuit, and the recent ratings flop of Gayle King and Charles Barkley's new talk show. Losing a familiar face would be a tough loss for the CNN brand, especially entering an election year in the U.S.

Obviously, the executives who Sherman polled — while surely well-sourced, given Sherman's longevity in the industry — aren't psychic. Sherman himself acknowledges that his 2022 roundup saw a mix of spot-on predictions and totally misguided proclamations. So, we'll just have to see what's in store for CNN in 2024.