CNN anchor Amara Walker announces she's leaving TV news industry in shock resignation

CNN This Morning Weekend co-anchor Amara Walker revealed she is leaving the 'declining' web aft much than a decennary astatine the network.

Walker announced her shocking resignation connected Thursday, citing a alteration successful the TV quality manufacture for her move.

'I've decided to prehend connected this infinitesimal of alteration successful our manufacture and instrumentality a hiatus from TV news,' Walker told Deadline.

'I'm a writer astatine heart, but I person different nonrecreational passions arsenic well. The timing couldn't beryllium amended to embark connected the adjacent chapter.'

Walker co-anchored CNN's This Morning Weekend programming with Victor Blackwell, arsenic good as CNN Newsroom connected CNN Max connected Mondays and Tuesdays astatine 8 a.m.

'I person different nonrecreational goals that I haven't been capable to prosecute fixed my full-time committedness to a breaking news TV schedule,' she said. 'I'm excited astir each that is to travel and the opportunities that prevarication ahead.' 

'In my 10 years with CNN, I've had the privilege of moving connected astir each of its platforms, arsenic an anchor for CNN, CNN International, and CNN Max, and besides arsenic a correspondent. Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing connected the cake. I felt this is the close clip to instrumentality this step.'

Walker and her CNN colleagues won the outstanding breaking quality sum for the reporting connected the Israel-Hamas war.

She joined the web in 2013 arsenic an anchor for CNN International and received an Emmy motion for her breaking quality sum of the Manchester Arena bombing onslaught during an Ariana Grande performance successful 2017.

A CNN spokesperson confirmed her departure, expressing their enactment for her aboriginal endeavors. 

'In Amara’s much than 10-year distinguished and award-winning vocation astatine CNN, she has helmed galore breaking quality stories from the anchor table and reported from the tract connected large events crossed the U.S. She’s been a fantastic and profoundly respected workfellow astatine CNN,' the spokesperson said.

Walker is the latest top CNN worker to person said goodbye to the presumption - arsenic immoderate large names person been axed. 

Popular CNN writer Jim Acosta, known for speaking retired against President Donald Trump, confirmed helium was parting ways with the web successful a shocking on-air announcement.

The seasoned newsman - who spent 18 years astatine CNN - was humiliated earlier this period erstwhile reports emerged indicating helium was going to beryllium axed from his 10 americium timeslot. 

Chris Wallace, different CNN quality anchor, announced helium was quitting the presumption aft 4 years there.

Wallace was paid a reported $7 cardinal a twelvemonth from CNN, but aft being informed that helium could enactment connected with a overmuch little salary, helium said goodbye, Puck News reported.

The future astatine the web looks grim arsenic experts accidental the wide web is 'in decline' aft staffers faced wage cuts and a circular of layoffs.

Jeff McCall, a communications prof astatine Indiana's Depauw University, told the Los Angeles Times that the network's layoffs are not a bully look for CNN.

'Right now, you deliberation of their marque arsenic successful decline. The layoffs; that’s a problem. And it looks truly atrocious erstwhile you suffer libel suits,' McCall said.

The layoffs were initially reported successful November and travel astir 100 cuts the web made implicit the summer.

The network's CEO Mark Thompson, who came aboard successful 2023, announced a unit chopped of 200 employees connected the network's TV side, portion besides sharing that CNN would absorption much connected caller products related to integer media consumption.