CNN’s chairman and chief executive Chris Licht is out at the network the news organization’s parent company announced Wednesday.
“I met with Chris and he will be leaving CNN,” David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, said in a memo.
“I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it,” Zaslav added. “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility.”
While the network is seeking a new replacement for Licht, executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy will lead CNN.
“We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named,” Zaslav said of the new team, adding the company would be conducting a search internally and externally for CNN’s next leader. “We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader.”
Licht’s departure caps a tumultuous year for CNN marked by mass layoffs and historically low ratings especially in the weeks after the network hosted a town hall with former President Donald Trump.
