*UPDATE* Acosta Announces On-Air He’s Leaving CNN
*UPDATE via Mary Chastain* Jim Acosta announced on-air he’s leaving CNN. He had a lot to say, he had a lot of nothing to say (a classic line from Tool’s song “Eulogy”):
“And I just wanted to end today’s show by thanking all of the wonderful people who work behind the scenes at this network. You may have seen some reports about me and the show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing an alternative time slot CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on. I am grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news. People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump. Actually, no. That moment came here when I covered former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners. As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I’ve always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that here at CNN, and I plan on going doing all of that in the future. One final message: Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope. Even if you have to get out your phone. Record that message. I will not give in to the lies. I will not give in to the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you too. I’ll have more to say about my plans in the coming days, but until then, I want to thank all of you for tuning in. It has been an honor to be welcomed into your home for all these years. That’s the news. Reporting from Washington. I’m Jim Acosta.”
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Last week, it was revealed that CNN was considering moving anchor Jim Acosta to the midnight timeslot. Acosta was unhappy about this and was considering leaving the network.
Acosta’s antics are well known. In 2018, he got into a tussle with a young woman who worked at the White House over his refusal to stop talking, a move that temporarily cost him his White House press pass.
Now he is apparently leaving CNN.
FOX News reports:
Jim Acosta leaving CNN after being pulled from network’s programming schedule: reportCNN anchor Jim Acosta is reportedly leaving the network after he was officially pulled from its programming schedule.The Status newsletter reported Monday that Acosta was expected to leave CNN after it was announced last week that his 10 a.m. ET program was being replaced with “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown” in the network’s latest reshuffling.The newsletter previously reported that Acosta was pitched by CNN CEO Mark Thompson to move him from his one-hour slot at 10 a.m. ET to a two-hour slot beginning at midnight, a far less distinguished place in the lineup.One CNN insider told Fox News Digital they heard Acosta “struggled with the choice” and may be cutting his contract short as a result.”It takes courage,” the CNN insider said.Another CNN insider was dismayed by Acosta’s exit, saying “Many viewers like Jim… if there is anyone who could make the overnight go it’s him,” adding “It’s sad to see him go.”
Oliver Darcy, who also used to work at CNN, first reported this in his newsletter. It’s behind a paywall, but Mediaite has published some of the details:
Jim Acosta is expected to exit CNN.The anchor, I’m told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network after its chief executive, Mark Thompson, booted him from the morning programming lineup — a move that conspicuously coincided with Donald Trump’s return to power.CNN brass, as we first reported earlier this month, decided to strip Acosta of his 10am show, which he has anchored to great ratings success over the last 11 months, at times even seeing higher viewership than programs in the channel’s prime time bloc. Acosta was instead offered the less-than-desirable option of anchoring a show from midnight until 2am ET. CNN pitched the gig to Acosta as anchoring during prime time on the West Coast and said he could move to Los Angeles to host the program. But the reality is the program would have aired at a time in which cable news viewership is at its lowest levels.
Acosta will not be missed by many.
No one seems to know what Acosta’s next move will be, but I’m betting he will learn that he needed CNN more than CNN needed him.
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