Media

CNN Airs Rerun To Replace Brian Stelter’s Canceled Show

(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
Font Size:

CNN aired a rerun of a Sunday program to replace former anchor Brian Stelter’s recently canceled show, “Reliable Sources.”

The network aired a Sunday morning rerun of “Inside Politics Sunday” hosted by anchor Abby Phillip during the 11 a.m. time slot when Stelter traditionally hosted “Reliable Sources.” Stelter departed CNN after the network’s president, Chris Licht, announced the cancellation of his Sunday program.

There are currently no plans to replace “Reliable Sources” with another media beat show, the network told The Wrap last week. The show began airing on CNN in 1993, making it the longest running show in the network’s history.

The final episode aired August 21, where Stelter said in his closing statement that platforms cannot be given “to those lying to our faces.” He emphasized the need for open debate and discussion in the media, calling the current state “garbage.”

“I know it is not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue,” he said. “It is not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It is patriotic. We must make sure we don’t give platforms to those lying to our faces. But we must make sure that we’re representing the full spectrum of debate and what is going on in the country and the world.”

After hosting the show for nine years, Stelter previously told the Daily Caller that it was a “rare privilege” to host the program and examine the media and the political realm. (RELATED: ‘Teachers Use Segments From This Show’: Stelter Claims Teachers Force-Fed His Rants To Students)

“I’m grateful for my nine years with CNN, proud of what we accomplished on Reliable Sources and so thankful for the viewers who tuned in every week for our examination of the media, truth and the stories that shape our world. It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential. I’ll have more to say on Sunday.”

The cancellation followed Licht’s plan to increase bipartisan coverage on its daily programming and get rid of hosts perceived to have a heavily “partisan” leaning. He had been making cuts since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in the early spring, with several plans to reform the network.

Stelter openly criticized former President Donald Trump on his show. In 2020, he compared the “radicalization” of Trump supporters by the “right-wing media machine” to members of ISIS. He also accused conservative media of “riot denialism” in October after former Vice President Mike Pence criticized the media for allegedly wanting to cover up President Joe Biden’s agenda by focusing on January 6.

The former anchor previously accused the Hunter Biden laptop story of being “Russian disinformation” in an effort to take down then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. He recently admitted the story is “not just a right-wing media story,” given that both The New York Times and Washington Post confirmed the authenticity of the abandoned laptop.