CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned Wednesday, telling employees he failed to disclose a consensual relationship with an aide.
Zucker, 56, said in a memo that their relationship came to the fore during the network's investigation into the conduct of Chris Cuomo, a CNN anchor who was fired in December for assisting his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who was fired in December. was accused of sexual harassment. misconduct.
Andrew Cuomo has said that his accusers had misinterpreted his words, gestures and behavior.
"I was required to disclose it when it started but I didn't," Zucker, who stepped down from his role as chairman of WarnerMedia's news and sports division, wrote in the memo.
Zucker declined an interview request through a spokesperson. He is divorced, his representative said.
She did not name her colleague in the memo, but had a relationship with the network's chief marketing officer Allison Golst, CNN anchor Brian Stelter said during a broadcast on Wednesday, while remaining at CNN.
"Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for more than 20 years," Stelter quoted Golst as saying in a separate memo of his own released Wednesday.
“Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I'm sorry we didn't disclose it at the right time. I am incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday. ,
Golst did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Although Zucker indicated that he planned to retire from CNN, he was expected to play a major role in the new Warner Bros.
Zucker and Discovery chief executive David Zaslav, who will head up Warner Bros. Discovery, are former collaborators and friends.
WarnerMedia plans to launch a new subscription streaming video news service, CNN+, in the first quarter of 2022.
Discovery declined to comment on Zucker's resignation.
In a memo to employees, WarnerMedia Chief Executive Jason Keeler wrote that he had accepted Zucker's resignation and would announce an interim leadership plan shortly.
"People are very surprised," a former CNN employee said on Wednesday. "Jeff is like glue to a lot of people during the pandemic."
Zucker, who joined CNN in 2013, has a stellar reputation with early success in the TV business. He was an executive producer of the NBC Today show in his 20s, then became president of NBC Entertainment.
Born and raised in Miami, Zucker has four children and lives in New York City, according to a profile on CNN's website. Reuters