Chris Licht leaves CNN after the first year
Chris Licht is OFF at CNN after just a year of staff revolt and falling ratings
- Chris Licht will announce his departure from CNN in 48 hours
- He took over from Jeff Zucker in May 2022 and had a disastrous year in charge
Chris Licht has been kicked out of CNN after a disastrous first year of trying to overhaul the network that saw ratings plummet, profits shrink and staff revolt against him.
According to Puck’s Dylan Bowers, the network will announce in the next 48 hours that Licht will step down.
His replacement is Amy Entelis, the long-serving Executive VP of talent.
The network’s Oliver Darcy also confirmed Licht’s departure, tweeting, “Bulletin: Chris Licht out at CNN.”
Licht’s departure comes after a hellish first year at the helm of the flailing network. He took over from Jeff Zucker in May last year after Zucker’s affair with Allison Gollust came to light.
Chris Licht has been fired from CNN after a disastrous first year of trying to overhaul the network that saw ratings plummet, profits shrink and staff revolt against him
His mission was to overhaul the network and purge it of leftist bias.
As part of that strategy, he lit up an hour-long town hall featuring Donald Trump, which former president railroad host Kaitlan Collins saw and disgusted with longtime employees who said he shouldn’t have been given a platform.
The town hall increased its ratings significantly, but did not recover afterwards and has lagged behind the more conservative Newsmax in recent days.
There has also been major upheaval with the network’s roster of talent.
Don Lemon, a loyal networker, was fired after making a series of sexist comments on Licht’s newly conceived morning show, CNN This Morning.
Brian Stelter, the long-serving media correspondent, was also absent.
The staff had always been put off by Licht’s aloofness and the fact that he kept his office on the 22nd floor, separate from the newsroom and constantly patrolled by his assistants.
The final blow came this week with a 1,500-word profile in The Atlantic detailing his disappointing leadership and staff misgivings.
Light added to that profile with disparaging remarks about CNN’s coverage of COVID-19 — before he took over.
Yesterday he apologized to staff during the infamous morning call, saying he would “fight” to regain their trust.