Jim Acosta will not exit CNN amid rumors, a source very close to CNN’s CEO and chairman, Chris Licht, told Sunday.
Acosta, who currently serves as an anchor for weekend programming and CNN’s chief domestic correspondent, was rumored to be the next anchor to go. After Jon Nicosia was elected president of News Cycle Media the speculation grew. TweetThat he knew the next scoop “big name”To leave CNN, click here IdentifiedAcosta was Friday’s person. After Mediaite reportedSunday, the rumors were “absolute bulls—,”CNN leadership was informed by the confirmation.
The rumors come two months after Brian Stelter’s abrupt exit from the network along with the cancellation of his Sunday morning show, “Reliable Sources.”It was reported at the time that Don Lemon and Acosta were to remain with the network, despite the centrist direction of Licht.
Many speculated that John Malone (a Warner Bros. media mogul) was behind the cancellation. Discovery stakeholder was behind the decision not to cancel “Reliable Sources”Malone was able to do so because he supported former president Donald Trump. deniedHis involvement to The New York Times. He stated that he wanted “the ‘news’ portion of CNN to be more centrist, but [he is not] in control or directly involved.”
However, it’s no secret that the network has sought to tamper down inflammatory language and criticism surrounding Trump and the GOP, which Acosta has famously been known for.
As CNN’s White House correspondent at the time, Acosta frequently clashed with Trump before the 2016 election and throughout the Trump administration. Acosta asked Trump about his ability to deal with the scrutiny during a 2016 news conference. Trump responded by interrupting. “Excuse me, excuse me, I’ve watched you on TV. You’re a real beauty.”Trump did not call him at a press briefing after the election. Instead, he called Acosta, CNN, and CNN. “fake news.”
Trump and Acosta became increasingly heated during a White House press conference held in 2018. A reporter asked Trump about Trump’s rhetoric being called racist. Trump responded by calling him a racist. “a rude, terrible person.”Things reached a boiling point when Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Press Secretary, accused Acosta “putting his hands”On a White House intern, and his White House credentials being suspended. CNN and Acosta both filed lawsuits, which were later dropped.
John Harwood, the prize-winning Washington reporter who had attacked Donald Trump’s character in September, left CNN. “dishonest demagogue”In June Licht made his last on-air appearance. He told staffers that he preferred they stop using the term. “The Big Lie” when referring to Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
While Lemon has since remained at the network, his role was shaken up in September, when he was shifted from his primetime gig to leading the network’s as-yet-untitled new morning show alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.
Nicosia Responded to Mediaite’s report Sunday by maintaining his original scoop. “The PR folks at CNN will defend to the end as they did Stelter,”He tweeted the following: “try to find a negative post about CNN on this site in the last 5 yrs.”
