Entertainment
BREAKING: Anti-Trump CNN Host Officially Announces Departure
CNN’s Jim Acosta ended his final morning program on Tuesday with a “grateful” message to the network that shelved him to a midnight time slot, leading him to announce his abrupt departure.
Earlier this month, the Trump critic was demoted off the daytime airwaves by CNN CEO Mark Thompson and other executives who feared that keeping Acosta in a prominent time slot was effectively daring President Donald Trump to continue attacking CNN or leaving its reporters out of key briefings. The shake-up would have seen Acosta banished to the “Siberia of cable news,” as one insider put it: Thompson reportedly offered him a show from midnight to 2 a.m.
Instead, Acosta told viewers he will leave with his head held high after nearly 18 years with CNN.
“You may have seen some reports about me and this show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing some alternative time slots CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on,” Acosta said in a brief, 90-second statement about his decision. Still, he couldn’t resist taking several shots at President Trump on his way out the door.
“People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump. Actually, no,” said Acosta, recalling instead his coverage of former President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in 2016 and having a chance to ask dictator Raúl Castro about criticisms of his administration.
“I took home this lesson: It is never time to bow down to a tyrant,” he said ominously.
Acosta will, however, bow out for the time being. Sources told the Status newsletter that his next career jump is unknown. “It takes courage,” one insider said about Acosta’s decision to quit rather than tough it out on the late-night desk.
“One final message: Don’t give into the lies. Don’t give into the fear. Hold on to the truth, and to hope, even if you have to get out your phone and record that message: I will not give into the lies. I will not give into the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you, too.”
“I’ll have more to say about my plans in the coming days, but until then, I want to thank all of you for tuning in.”
WATCH:
CNN’s anti-Trump posturing during the president’s first administration is not on Thompson’s mind this time around. Those remaining on-air, such as Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, have been warned against “pre-judging” Trump or opining too broadly about his early actions in office, a sign that the CEO is aware of how dark things could get for a network that’s already hemorrhaging cash and staff.
Over the past few months, Thompson has laid off hundreds of staff, shuttered CNN’s digital subscription service, and promised a more aggressive approach to “lifestyle” news that will firm up its pivot away from politics and current events. The new landscape left no room for Acosta, who signed a lucrative book deal after his press credentials were revoked by the Trump White House. CNN eventually sued to get them back, catapulting Acosta into the realm of liberal stardom.
Whether he can parlay that career highlight into a permanent new gig remains to be seen.