Chris Licht, the CEO of CNN, has resigned from his position after a damaging profile in The Atlantic alienated network staff and senior figures. The announcement of Licht’s sudden departure came from Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, on Wednesday.
According to reports, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, informed CNN staffers of Licht’s departure during an early morning editorial meeting.
“I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN,” he told CNN employees. “For a number of reasons, things didn’t work out and that’s unfortunate. It’s really unfortunate. And ultimately that’s on me. And I take full responsibility for that.”
Following the news of his departure, Licht reportedly commented, “This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment and I learned a lot over the past 13 months. I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career and I look forward to my next chapter. I wish the team at CNN the very best, always.”
Sources within the network expressed belief that Licht’s tenure at CNN was effectively over due to the damaging portrayal of an Atlantic profile. The profile, consisting of 15,000 words, depicted Licht as aloof and disconnected from his staff. The profile was a significant blow to Licht, who took over as CEO in February 2022 following the departure of Jeff Zucker.
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According to reports, “the top two leaders of CNN’s communications department, Kris Coratti Kelly and Matt Dornic, as well as Licht’s chief of staff, Devan Cayea, will also depart the company.”
With Licht’s departure, Warner Bros. Discovery has initiated a search for a new leader to steer CNN through the ongoing challenges and transformations in the media landscape.
In the interim, the leadership team will be comprised of three veteran network executives.
“We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named,” Zaslav said. “We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader.”
