CNN President Jeff Zucker announced his resignation to staff Wednesday morning, according to a memo shared by media reporter Brian Stelter.
Zucker wrote to his employees that he was resigning due to a “consensual relationship with my closest colleague” that he was “required to disclose” at the time it began but didn’t. He said he was asked about the relationship as a part of CNN’s investigation into the conduct of Chris Cuomo.
Jeff Zucker just announced his resignation to a stunned CNN. pic.twitter.com/sWXYNBO20d
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
Stelter revealed the relationship to be with CNN chief marketing officer Allison Gollust. Gollust previously served as the communications director for former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She said in a statement that the two became romantically involved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zucker did not name his colleague in the memo, but the relationship is with Allison Gollust, the chief marketing officer for CNN. Gollust is remaining at CNN. https://t.co/leQjFGOtmi
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
The CNN exec who Zucker was having an affair with was Andrew Cuomo’s comms director at one time. https://t.co/OCTr6B32rf https://t.co/k9bf0J1EuA
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) February 2, 2022
Zucker, who split from his wife in 2018, said he “acknowledged” that his relationship with Gollust “evolved in recent years.”
Chris Cuomo was let go by CNN in December for his involvement in helping cover up sexual assault allegations against his brother, Andrew Cuomo. (RELATED: Former CNN Producer’s Alleged 9-Year-Old Sex Abuse Victim Moved To ‘Protective Environment’)
Zucker took over as CNN president in 2013. He oversaw a steady decline in ratings for the network, in which he led a shift to covering politics similarly to sports. He previously said he would step down at the end of 2021, but did not.
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced in a memo Wednesday that CNN would be led by three “interim co-heads” going forward: Michael Bass, Amy Entelis and Ken Jautz.