Chris Licht has been removed as CEO of CNN, The Daily Beast has confirmed.
The executive’s ouster follows weeks of turmoil and drama, culminating with the publication of a devastating profile in The Atlantic that further eroded the network’s faith in his leadership. Puck first reported Licht’s exit on Wednesday morning.
In the interim, Licht will be replaced by longtime CNN executive Amy Entelis. His departure also comes just days after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav installed longtime lieutenant David Leavy as the network COO.
During the network’s Wednesday morning editorial call, Zaslav confirmed Licht’s exit, effective Thursday.
“This job was never going to be easy,” the Warner Discovery CEO said, adding: “He was in the line of fire, and he’s taken a lot of hits.”
Zaslav also stated that “for a number of reasons, things didn’t work out,” noting that “it’s unfortunate” and “that’s on me.”
Licht’s brief tenure as the network’s boss was marked by plummeting ratings, extensive job cuts, programming shifts that didn’t pan out, and high-profile firings of on-air personalities. All of this, it appeared, was part of an effort to reshape CNN into a “centrist” news organization and appeal to a supposedly broader audience.
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