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CNN’s CEO exits in latest network shakeup

Chris Licht’s resignation comes after a brutal few months at the cable network.
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CNN’s CEO is out.

Chris Licht, the former executive producer and showrunner of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert who replaced CNN head Jeff Zucker in May 2022, has stepped down after just over a year at the network, the company said in a statement Wednesday morning.

The surprise departure ends a tumultuous reign marred by controversies, including a disastrous town hall held with former President Donald Trump last month, and rock-bottom ratings for the cable network. But the proverbial nail in the coffin seems to have been a damaging profile published in The Atlantic on Friday, a close chronicling of Licht’s attempts to turn the network’s fortunes around. The profile detailed Licht’s criticisms of CNN’s tone and coverage of major events like the Covid-19 pandemic, along with his decision to move his office away from the newsroom and his obsession with negative press.

On Monday, Licht apologized to staff and said he would work to win back their trust. That was apparently not enough. “Licht has lost the room,” CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy reported earlier this week.

Licht’s legacy: Before Licht joined CNN, the company was undergoing changes stemming from Zucker’s departure following the revelation that he was having an affair with an employee, and from the ousting of host Chris Cuomo. Warner Bros. Discovery had also put the kibosh on CNN+ less than a month after it officially debuted.

During Licht’s time at CNN’s helm, he had stated his intent to restore viewers’s trust, particularly among conservatives and Republicans. CNN underwent staff reductions and a number of high-profile talent changes, including the tepid rollout of CNN This Morning and, later, the firing of host Don Lemon following sexist remarks he made on air. Last month, Kaitlan Collins, a former conservative blogger who joined CNN as a White House correspondent in 2017, was named the network’s newest primetime host.

What’s next: There is an “active search” for a replacement for Licht, the company said in a statement. In the meantime, four executives will handle Licht’s duties: EVP of talent and content development Amy Entelis, EVP of editorial Virginia Moseley, EVP of US programming Eric Sherling, and chief operating officer David Leavy.

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