CNN boss Chris Licht is leaving the company after criticizing an interview by Donald Trump. CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery announced today that the light will come on immediately. A successor is currently being sought, while the US news station will be temporarily managed by a team.
“I have a lot of respect for Chris personally and professionally,” said WBO boss David Zaslav. “It was clear that leading CNN would not be easy, especially during a time of turmoil and transformation, and he did the job wholeheartedly.”
Show with Trump on the show
Last week, Atlantic magazine published a critical report on the light. Above all, he was accused of the fact that CNN had a program with former US President Trump on May 10. In it, Trump made false claims about his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, announced that he would pardon many of those involved in the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol, and called CNN host Kaitlan Collins a “disgusting person.”
Licht took over the top job at CNN in May 2022 from longtime boss Jeff Zucker, who had to leave because of a relationship with a colleague. In his time, CNN’s approval ratings plummeted, despite Licht’s efforts to make the channel more attractive to Republican viewers as well.