Chris Licht Out as CNN Boss, Weeks After Airing Panned Trump Town Hall

Some 15 months after being installed as Chairman and CEO of CNN Global, Chris Licht is stepping down from the position, effective immediately.

The news comes one month after a widely-criticized CNN town hall event with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and in the more immediate wake of a less-than-flattering profile of Licht’s tenure via The Atlantic.

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Puck News was first to report on Licht’s ouster, which a half-hour later was confirmed by CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery.

“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” David Zaslav, president and CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement. “The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it. While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.”

With Licht out, CNN has named an interim leadership team comprising of Amy Entelis, EVP of talent and content development, Virginia Moseley, EVP of editorial, and Eric Sherling, EVP of US programming, as well as David Leavy, chief operating officer, on the commercial side.

Licht attempted some damage control after the publishing of the Atlantic piece — which was titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” painted him as an exec obsessed with following WBD CEO Zaslav’s marching orders to better platform Republican views, and saw him badmouthing predecessor Jeff Zucker’s reign — by telling staffers in a meeting, “To those whose trust I’ve lost, I will fight like hell to win it back, because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news.”

WBD CEO Zaslav rather conspicuously did not comment on the record for the Atlantic profile, but said afterward in a statement that “we have great confidence in the progress that Chris and the team are making and share their conviction in the strategy.”

Or… not.

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