Former CNN CEO Chris Licht broke his silence after he was ousted Wednesday from the network.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told CNN staffers Wednesday morning Licht would be leaving his role as CEO. Licht will be replaced by CNN executive Amy Entelis, who previously served alongside former CEO Jeff Zucker.
Licht spoke out about his exit Thursday.
“This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment and I learned a lot over the past 13 months,” Licht said in a statement, according to CNN Business. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career and I look forward to my next chapter. I wish the team at CNN the very best, always.”
Licht’s ousting comes days after The Atlantic published an article entitled “Inside The Meltdown At CNN,” which detailed alleged tensions between staffers since Licht took over the network last April. Licht reportedly apologized to staff Monday during the editorial meeting before confirming he would remain in his position as CEO. (RELATED: CNN Blows Off Biden’s Biggest Challenger (So Far) But Gives Plenty Of Airtime To GOP Longshots)
CNN’s two top communications leaders also left the network just hours after Licht was ousted.
“The top two leaders of CNN’s communications department, Kris Coratti Kelly and Matt Dornic, as well as Licht’s chief of staff, Devan Caye, will also depart the company, I’m told,” CNN’s Oliver Darcy tweeted.