CNN CEO Chris Licht Reportedly Leaving Network
CNN announced that chairman and CEO Chris Licht is leaving the network on Wednesday, June 7. According to a report by CNN Business, employees first heard the news early in the morning from the chief executive at CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. Licht has made many controversial changes during his time leading the network, and it's still not clear exactly why he is leaving nor whether the decision was his or not.
"I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN," Zaslav reportedly told CNN employees during an editorial call on Wednesday morning. Licht himself has not commented publicly on his departure or responded to requests for comment form various news outlets, though he did speak to employees on Monday. Licht was the subject of a largely negative profile in The Atlantic published last week, and he apologized to employees for the "distraction" of that piece on another phone call on Monday.
Licht, 51, has a background as a producer on news shows including CNN This Morning and Scarborough Country. One of his best known projects was working on MSNBC's Morning Joe when it first launched. He was also an executive producer and showrunner on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and under his watch the show became the highest-rated late night show at the time.
Still, there were questions about Licht's qualifications to be the CEO of CNN from the start. He took the job in February of 2022 after the abrupt resignation of the network's president Jeff Zucker, who came under fire when news broke that he had a secret relationship with his colleague Allison Gollust. Licht did things differently from the start and made some sweeping changes to the programming lineup that did not sit well with journalists.
Licht also oversaw mass layoffs at CNN in December of 2022, and employees that remained complained that they were losing access to important tools for real reporting, such as time in the field rather than in the studio. However, arguably the biggest controversy of Licht's tenure was just last month when he orchestrated a televised town hall with former President Donald Trump. Many critics felt that Licht should not have been so eager to give Trump a platform knowing that he has spread misinformation in the past.
As for the profile of Licht in The Atlantic, it portrayed him as naive when it came to disinformation and generally focused on the wrong things. The piece was written by Tim Alberta and based on many interviews over the course of several months, with input from Licht's colleagues as well. On Monday, Licht reportedly told employees that he "did not recognize himself when reading portions of the story."
It's unclear what comes next for CNN or who will take on leadership next. For now, the network continues as usual with no interruption to its usual programming.