Jeff Zucker resigned as president of CNN last week, revealing in a memo sent to employees that he failed to disclose a relationship with a subordinate.
Some, like former President Donald Trump, welcomed and celebrated the news, but those who work at CNN — including some anchors — were deeply disappointed.
GrievingAccording to a new report from NPR, CNN anchors have "waged a campaign" to defend Zucker's reputation in recent days, grilling WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar.
At a meeting Monday, OutFront host Erin Burnett told Kilar that everyone is "grieving" Zuker's departure and compared it to a death in the family.
A meeting with international staffers was held that same day, with many questioning Kilar and demanding to know who their new boss will be.
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Some CNN host paid tributes to Zucker on air.
CNN Newsroom anchor Alisyn Camerota described his departure as an "incredible loss."
"He has this uncanny ability to make, I think, every one of us feel special and valuable in our own way, even though he is managing an international news organization of thousands of people," she said, noting that Zucker's relationship with CNN's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust was consensual.
Chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward, meanwhile, described Zucker as "the best boss I have ever had."
Was Zucker Forced Out?But did Zucker really voluntarily resign, or was he forced to step down? According to NPR's sources, the decision to leave "was not his own."
Some at the network speculated that Zucker was forced out by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the brother of anchor Chris Cuomo, who was fired by Zucker.
The Lead anchor Jake Tapper reportedly suggested at a meeting that "the bad guy" appears to be winning.
CNN Leadership
For the time being, CNN is being led by a trio of senior corporate deputies to Zucker: Michael Bass, Amy Entelis, and Ken Jautz.
Bass is the network's executive vice president of programming, Entelis is CNN Worldwide’s executive vice president for talent and content development, while Jautz serves is CNN's executive vice president.
"We are fortunate to have three senior leaders within the News organization who have agreed to serve as interim co-heads for CNN beginning today through what you should anticipate will be through the close of the pending transaction with Discovery," Kilar said in a statement obtained by The New York Post.
"I have full confidence that Michael, Amy and Ken, as interim heads for News, will provide the leadership this organization needs during this time of transition," he added.
]]>The Inquisitr
