Sometimes the truth sounds harsh. And that’s because it is.
The truth about Candy Crowley leaving CNN is that she was on President Jeff Zucker‘s short list to be gone from the beginning.
“Hearing that she was too old and fat,” a CNN insider told The Mirror. “Goes along with the direction of going for a younger audience.”
Another source with knowledge about the network’s thought process said Zucker is finally “putting Crowley out to pasture.”
“Jeff Zucker was trying to move Candy out when he first got there,” said the individual who spoke only on condition of anonymity. “That statement [released by CNN] is utter bullshit. Come on, think about it. I’m not buying that she’s leaving on her own accord. Everybody on the inside knows that she has been absolutely unhappy since Jeff Zucker arrived. When they gave John King a Sunday show — which is an absolute joke — Zucker was repositioning him back as a show host. She has not been happy at all with Zucker with his changes. The reality is her role has been greatly diminished. Going into this next election cycle, he was putting her out to pasture.”
In his obviously borderline fictionalized memo, Zucker really buttered his thoughts about her. Hell, if he really thought all this, wouldn’t he want to keep Candy happy enough to stick around? “In her 27 years at CNN, Candy Crowley has been one of the most important, impactful journalists on our air. …To say she lives and breathes politics is more than an understatement. She has an innate ability to sense its nuance, push its limits, and ask questions that others won’t. She is beloved in Washington even by those that she so skillfully takes to task.”
The memo makes it clear that it was Candy’s call to leave. “As difficult as it is to imagine CNN without Candy, we know that she comes to this decision thoughtfully, and she has our full support,” he wrote.
The CNN insider, meanwhile, confirmed that Zucker never warmed to her, despite the fact that her office fan club is huge. “I knew he never liked her from the beginning,” insider #1 confirmed. “He has his favorites. That’s kind of his right. He can not like who he doesn’t like. Candy is good people. She is the shit. She’s awesome.”
Still, sources tell The Mirror she made “a ton” of money — allegedly $300K. So losing her was also a lucrative move.
Says the CNN insider: “Heard Jeff would rather split the cost and have a younger blonde cover politics to compete with Fox News.”