CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned after acknowledging he did not disclose a romantic relationship with a senior executive of the same media network.
CNN president resigned unexpectedly
Currently, CNN is navigating crucial waters as the network was about to release a high-stakes subscription service called CNN+. Meanwhile, Discovery Inc was on the verge of acquiring the parent company of CNN, WarnerMedia.
Thus, the timing of the departure of the president can push the network into trouble.
On Wednesday, Zucker noted in his memo that his hidden relationship was unveiled during the internal investigation into Chris Cuomo’s case.
While acknowledging his mistake, Zucker noted he was supposed to report his relationship at the beginning, but he failed to do so, for which he is now resigning.
CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker said Wednesday that he is resigning, effective immediately https://t.co/Zg2zCAcSOE
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 2, 2022
The top-executive colleague for which he was talking about is CNN executive Vice President Allison Gollust, who said she would not leave the network.
Gollust noted she remained close friends with Zucker for 20 years, but their relationship turned into a romantic one during the pandemic, which she regrets not disclosing.
During Cuomo’s investigation, lawyers from a famous law firm, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, inquired many CNN officials in general. This was largely because the media network thought the Cuomo matter could turn into a lawsuit.
Zucker forced to resign even though he wanted to stay further
Jason Kilar, who is the chief executive of WarnerMedia, told Zucker after lawyers’ interviews that he could no longer serve the company. This is according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity with the New York Times.
Despite the fact Zucker wanted to remain at what is known as one of the most powerful seats in American media, Kilar rejected his suggestion and asked Zucker to step down immediately.
Reportedly, Zucker started remaining absent from his usual editorial calls lately, and even his closest colleagues had no idea that he could resign out of the blue.
Right after his exit, sympathies started pouring in for the president. Alisyn Camerota, an anchor of the same network, stated two adults in a consensual relationship should not be punished like that.
Zucker was a close aide of Chris Cuomo as well; he stood by Cuomo even at a time when revelations started coming out that he was helping his troubled brother Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, in escaping various sexual charges.
CNN spent a year giving cover to the many scandals involving the Cuomos while the president of the network was having an affair with his colleague, who happened to be Andrew's former comms director.
And corporate media wonders why we trust Joe Rogan more than them.
— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) February 2, 2022
However, when more details started coming out against Cuomo, Zucker was hesitant to support him anymore. This, therefore, resulted in the firing of the former anchor.
Former President Donald Trump celebrated the resignation of the outgoing president Zucker, stating that he resigned because the CNN media network has lost its way.
