Chris Licht, Don Lemon, Trump Town Hall and more
Chris Licht has resigned from his position as CEO of CNN with immediate effect. The cable news outlet has been beset by drama and controversy, which began under the old regime headed by Jeff Zucker. During Licht’s 13-month tenure, he fired several prominent on-air personalities, green-lighted the chaotic town hall with Donald Trump, and saw CNN’s highly publicized streaming service, CNN+, snuffed out shortly after it launched. The final straw for Licht was a 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic that portrayed him as a thin-skinned executive who refused to engage his employees while harboring jealousy over staffers’ longing for his predecessor, Zucker. Here’s a list of Licht’s missteps during his period at the network, along with the crises that engulfed CNN before his arrival:
FAQs:
What controversies has CNN faced under Jeff Zucker’s leadership?
Jeff Zucker resigned last year under a cloud of scandal after a years-long relationship with chief marketing officer Allison Gollust became public. Gollust resigned weeks after Zucker’s departure. Zucker fired Chris Cuomo, his highest-rated prime-time star, following revelations that he assisted his brother, then-governor of New York, on how to combat sexual harassment allegations leveled by former aides. Zucker’s brainchild, CNN+, was shuttered less than a month after it launched due to technical difficulties.
Why did Chris Licht resign from CNN?
Licht resigned from CNN because of controversies and scandals that have engulfed the network for years, which began under the old regime headed by Jeff Zucker. During Licht’s 13-month tenure, he fired several prominent on-air personalities, green-lighted the discourteous town hall with Donald Trump, and saw CNN’s highly publicized streaming service, CNN+, fail shortly after it launched.
What was Chris Licht’s final straw at CNN?
Chris Licht’s final straw at CNN was a 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic that portrayed him as a thin-skinned executive who refused to engage his employees while harboring jealousy over staffers’ longing for his predecessor, Zucker. This profile compounded the crises and controversies that had already engulfed the network before his tenure began.
More on Chris Licht, Don Lemon, and the Trump Town Hall
CNN has been embroiled in a series of crises and controversies that have rocked the struggling cable news outlet. The latest blow came on Wednesday when Chris Licht resigned as network boss, following a tumultuous 13-month stint in which he sacked several high-profile on-air personalities, greenlighted a now-infamous town hall with Donald Trump and saw the cancellation of CNN’s much-hyped streaming service shortly after it launched. Licht’s departure followed a devastating, 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic that depicted him as a thin-skinned executive who showed little interest in engaging with his employees while exhibiting jealousy over staffers’ fondness for his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
Among Licht’s missteps during his brief tenure were the ousting of long-time controversial anchor Don Lemon, who had a history of upsetting female co-workers during his 17-year tenure at CNN. The final nail in his coffin was the belittling remark Lemon made about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, which triggered national ridicule and led the network to force him to undergo sensitivity training before finally ending his stint at the network. Licht’s decision to give Trump the spotlight during a chaos-filled town hall further sparked outrage before and after the event. Anderson Cooper, one of CNN’s most recognizable faces, described the event on his program as “so disturbing” that viewers “have every right to be angry and never watch this network again.”
Prior to Licht’s arrival, CNN was already mired in crises that included the ill-fated CNN+ streaming service, the resignation of Zucker under a cloud of scandal, and the firing of Zucker’s highest-rated prime time star, Chris Cuomo, after it was learned that he helped his brother, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, combat sexual harassment allegations. In the wake of his firing, Chris Cuomo took legal action against CNN seeking to be paid the remaining sum left on his contract.