CNN announced this morning that Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide has left the company effective today. Licht’s departure is believed to have been a result of what the news network termed “a series of severe missteps” during his 13 months at the helm.
Licht took over from Jeff Zucker, who stepped down in April 2022 after news of an undisclosed relationship with a CNN employee became public. Licht's term was marked by several incidents that impacted his ability to lead the news network, namely, the shutdown of the CNN Plus streaming service last summer and the more publicized controversy surrounding his decision to have the network host former President Donald Trump in a live town hall at the end of May as well as a damning profile in The Atlantic recently.
