Ex-CNN boss sheds light on his ouster from liberal network: 'There are those that didn't want change'

Former CNN brag Chris Licht spoke candidly astir what led to his 2023 ouster from the network, suggesting helium faced absorption to "change" from staff.

In an interrogation Saturday astatine the New York Press Club's Journalism Conference, Licht said it was his "mission" erstwhile helium was hired to reconstruct America's "trust" successful CNN and chalked up his firing arsenic specified "business." He said helium adjacent remains friends with the antheral who fired him, genitor institution Warner Brother Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Licht was past asked by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith whether helium could "pinpoint" what precisely led to his firing, citing examples similar the CNN Trump municipality hall and the now-infamous Atlantic illustration that painted him successful a antagonistic light, some having sparked backlash among staff. 

"When you effort to alteration thing dramatically, you can't bash it alone. You've got to physique the spot of the organization. They person to judge successful you. And I did not physique that trust," Licht said. "I was not capable to, successful the clip that I was there, physique spot truthful that radical would tune retired the sound and benignant of travel maine into that."

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Former CNN CEO Chris Licht spoke candidly astir his firing from the web during an quality astatine the New York Press Club's Journalism Conference. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

"Because of time? Or due to the fact that of thing else?" Smith asked.

"Time's an constituent of it," Licht responded. "We person to retrieve wherever things were astatine that time. It was a brainsick – I deliberation everyone could objectively accidental it was a brainsick time, peculiarly successful that organization, but I'm not letting myself disconnected the hook."

"I deliberation erstwhile you effort to person a bold mode of going forward, you person to beryllium assured and you person to amusement assurance successful it truthful radical travel you, but there's a good enactment betwixt assurance and arrogance and I inactive enactment connected dialing that and I deliberation sometimes I was connected the incorrect broadside of that."

"The Atlantic nonfiction I perfectly should not person done," helium continued. "Speaking of arrogance, ideate saying yes after, by the way, saying nary respective times, but astatine the end, saying yes due to the fact that you cognize what, erstwhile this comes retired successful a year, I volition person saved everything. This is gonna beryllium an nonfiction that's going to beryllium truthful affirmative due to the fact that successful a year, I did it. Imagine that arrogance present that I look back. Now, I hadn't failed astatine thing before. So it was I perfectly thought, you cognize what, it's been a year, they're going to beryllium penning astir 'wow, look astatine each these large things that person happened.' So, no, I should person done that. Definitely should not person taken a newsman to the gym. If I tin accidental 1 happening to anybody, bash not bring a newsman to the gym."

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Licht said determination were CNN staffers that "didn't privation change" arsenic helium attempted to stear the struggling web successful a antithetic direction. ( Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Licht defended the Trump municipality hallway arsenic helium did during the blowback against CNN, saying, "I inactive judge contiguous it was the close happening to do." And portion helium reiterated his regret astir not disclosing to viewers that the New Hampshire municipality hallway was filled with Trump supporters and center-right voters, helium pointed to their affirmative reactions to then-candidate Donald Trump arsenic being important successful its ain right. 

"Remember, we hadn't seen Trump for a precise agelong time. That was the archetypal clip helium answered precise pugnacious questions successful a agelong time. And the information that his shtick resonated with voters successful New Hampshire, that's portion of the story, but radical astatine location had to beryllium told that and that's 1 happening I would person done differently," Licht said. 

He continued, "So wherefore was it? I deliberation it's each of that… There are those that didn't privation change, and however I reacted to those people, you know, I picked immoderate fights I shouldn't person picked. There's immoderate things I should – immoderate alliances I should person built, oregon radical I should person trusted more. There's radical I should person trusted less. But, you know, there's not a person successful immoderate enactment that doesn't person those self-reflections."

A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment.

Licht was handpicked by Zaslav successful 2022 to assistance revive CNN's viewership and reconstruct its journalistic credibility aft the web spent years gathering a estimation for being an anti-Trump quality enactment nether Licht's predecessor, Jeff Zucker. 

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Licht defended CNN's municipality hallway with then-candidate DonaldTrump, which sparked backlash from wide viewers and web staffers alike. (Screenshot/CNN)

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CNN's rank-and-file resisted Licht's efforts to region the spectacle from its coverage. Among his large moves were dismissing salient wide on-air figures, including Brian Stelter, Don Lemon and Jeffrey Toobin.

However, Licht had wholly mislaid the spot of CNN unit aft the web hosted Trump municipality hallway successful May 2023, which sparked unprecedented fury from wrong the newsroom. Licht was fired by Zaslav weeks later. 

Fast-forward to November 2024 arsenic fiscal woes and dismal viewership proceed to plague the network. Many of Licht's decisions were reversed – Stelter was rehired arsenic a media analyst, Toobin and Lemon person made aggregate appearances arsenic guests – and CNN's anti-Trump sum came backmost successful a roaring manner done Election Day. 

CNN's existent honcho Mark Thompson is present tasked with stopping the bleeding of its dwindling assemblage and its bottommost line. CNN staffers person told Fox News Digital they're "deeply frustrated" arsenic important fund cuts and layoffs are apt to stone the web successful the coming months.