WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN boss David Zaslav has branded former CNN president Jeff Zucker as “a weakling who had tears in his eyes” following his ouster from the network in February 2022.
Both Zaslav and Zucker had been friends for more than a decade, but when Zaslav took over the reins at Discovery and realized that Zucker had few plans to change the political leanings of the network, which had become fiercely anti-Trump, Zucker’s days were numbered .
The details have been revealed in a New York Times report mapping the relationships between Zaslav and several former CNN executives, including Zucker and CNN CEO Chris Licht, who was fired from the network by Zaslav in June 2023.
But it wasn’t just management that was in Zaslav’s crosshairs. Since his arrival at the network, several hosts have been dumped, including on-air personalities Don Lemon and Brian Stelter – both of whom were kicked out.
Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN head David Zaslav has criticized former CNN president Jeff Zucker, calling him ‘a weakling who had tears in his eyes’
Jeff Zucker was president of CNN for almost a decade until he was forced out in February 2022
In Lemon’s case, he had been moved by Licht from his 10 p.m. Don Lemon Tonight timeslot to a revamped morning show, CNN This Morning, of which Lemon was not a fan because he had to share the spotlight with two other female hosts.
It was one of the first major programming movements under Light.
In a twisted web of complex relationships, Lemon believed he had the support and protection of Zaslev, with the boss encouraging him to speak out about how Licht was performing as head of CNN.
Lemon revealed how Licht failed to inspire confidence among journalists and producers in the CNN newsroom, but Lemon’s career was derailed after he made a sexist comment about 51-year-old presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Lemon said on air that Haley is “not in her prime,” and that a woman is only in her prime “in her 20s, 30s and maybe 40s.”
CNN CEO Chris Licht did not inspire confidence among the journalists and producers in the CNN newsroom
Don Lemon defended his claim during the broadcast that women over forty are ‘past their best years’
Don Lemon, right, is pictured with his fiancée, Tim Malone, near his Hudson Yards apartment after being fired from CNN in April
At the time co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins challenged Lemon, trying to clarify what he was referring to: “I think we should qualify. Are you talking prime for having children or are you talking prime for being president?”
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just stating the facts,” Lemon replied.
Lemon issued a statement the same day saying he regretted his “artless and irrelevant” comments.
He subsequently was absent from the show for three days, returning the following week with an apology on Twitter, but no mention of the episode on air.
Zaslev’s patience ran out as he demanded to know, “Why hasn’t he been fired?”
CNN offered no public explanation for Lemon’s firing, so he had to do it himself.
“After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly,” Lemon said.
Lemon, meanwhile, was seen on the red carpet at the Time100 Gala in New York
CNN said Lemon was given the opportunity to meet with management, but instead released a statement on Twitter.
The show had made little progress in the ratings against the more popular Fox & Friends and Morning Joe on cable news competitors.
The bad atmosphere began to cost CNN’s ad sales, with some potential guests becoming reluctant to appear on CNN this morning.
In March of this year, Zaslav promised Discovery board members how Lemon would disappear from the morning show before Memorial Day. He was ultimately fired at the end of April, just five months into his new show.
Lemon later met Zaslav after his departure. Zaslav apologized for the handling of the situation – and although the discussion was said to have been cordial, their social relationship has since broken down.
Zaslav had once been friends with Lemon, 57, Licht, 52, and Zucker 58 – they visited their homes in the Hampton’s on Long Island and attended social engagements with each other, including parties.
But the friendships faltered and fell apart when he took on the role of head of CNN’s parent company in 2022.
Oversight of the fledgling news organization took precedence over personal connections, many of which had been years in the making.
The Times says its account of Zaslav’s interactions with key figures at CNN is based on a series of interviews with more than a dozen individuals familiar with the network’s inner workings.
Zaslav seems to have been around since long before he headed Warner Bros. Discovery has already made plans to reshape “the most trusted name in news” — even having discussions with Licht about running CNN while Zucker was still at the helm.
Zucker’s departure ultimately occurred for reasons unrelated to Zaslav, after he violated company policy — namely failing to disclose a consensual relationship with former CNN Worldwide chief marketing officer, 49-year-old Allison Gollust.
He left the $6 million-a-year post after admitting to employees that he had violated the company’s standards of business conduct.
Zaslav and Zucker’s relationship deteriorated further about a year after his departure when the pair finally spoke during a chance meeting at a Miami Beach hotel during which Zaslav allegedly disparaged Zucker.
Zucker told Zaslev that he was disappointed that he had not heard from him, while Zaslev wanted to make it clear that he did not support his ouster.
Zaslav also explained that he could not reach him because the merger between WarnerMedia’s AT&T and Discovery had not yet been completed.
Zaslev has left working relationships and former friendships in tatters as he strives to restore CNN’s ratings
The pair agreed to “move forward,” but later during a phone call with Licht, Zaslav described Zucker during their meeting “as a weakling with tears in his eyes,” according to The Times.
According to sources, the couple is no longer communicating.
Zucker now works at RedBird IMI, an investment fund specializing in digital media, sports, entertainment and news, founded by RedBird Capital Partners, a private equity firm, and International Media Investments, a financier with connections to the United Arab Emirates government.
In Chris Licht’s case, Zaslav asked him to run CNN even while Zucker was in charge.
After Zucker’s departure, Licht accepted the position in February 2022, but this again came at the expense of their friendship.
‘We have been friends for fifteen years. We’re not friends anymore. You work for me,” Zaslev told Licht as he took on the role.
Licht’s ouster from CNN came just a year later, and by June 2023 he was gone after a profile in The Atlantic revealed how employees had grown dissatisfied with him over actions taken during his tenure.
Chris Licht reigned in a publicly chaotic year at CNN before being ousted
Licht’s ouster from CNN came just a year later, and by June 2023 he was gone after a profile in The Atlantic revealed how employees had grown dissatisfied with him over actions taken during his tenure.
The article stated that more than 100 CNN employees doubted his ability to lead the organization into the future.
Licht’s departure capped a tumultuous year that was marked by layoffs, shrinking profits, low ratings, the firing of two anchors and a low point among employees.
“This has been an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment and I have learned a lot over the past thirteen months,” Licht said in a statement at the time.
“I have been fortunate to have had a successful, fulfilling career and I look forward to my next chapter. I always wish the CNN team all the best.”
Licht was brought in to overhaul the network after Zucker’s departure and the firing of Chris Cuomo, its most successful anchor.
His mission was to cleanse the network of its inherent left-wing biases and increase its ratings.
Instead, he isolated himself in a corporate office on the 22nd floor — five floors above the newsroom — and seemed perpetually unavailable to employees disgusted by his efforts to bring the network back to the political center.
After years of sensational coverage of the Trump White House and the COVID-19 pandemic, the network began to weather the so-called Trump slump, and even as the presidential cycle heats up, the network’s numbers have fallen.
The magazine was given extraordinary access to Light, presenting him as boastful where he was interviewed at the gym, describing himself as “a machine” and saying that pastor Zucker “couldn’t do this.”
After the explosive piece, Zaslav warned him to ‘solve the story within six months’ – but Licht was fired by Zaslev within days – another working relationship and former friendship now in tatters.