Jeff Zucker GF Allison Gollust checks out of CNN leaving a blazing trail of debris behind
Allison Gollust, the girlfriend of former CNN President Jeff Zucker is also leaving the network, CNN announced on February 15. The network said Gollust was resigning as the investigation into her and Zucker's affair concluded. However, shortly after, Gollust slammed them for doing so, rather than wait for her to announce her resignation. In her final email to colleagues, Gollust tore into CNN, leaving the network on very bad terms.
Gollust's exit comes weeks after Zucker himself was forced out, reportedly because he did not report the affair to HR. However, that narrative has been challenged, with a trove of reports coming over the past few weeks. Tucker Carlson claimed he was fired for bad ratings, as CNN's slump has caught a lot of attention. More recently, it was reported that Zucker's handling of the Chris Cuomo affair played a role in his ouster.
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There's clearly a lot going on internally, especially with the merger with Discovery on the horizon. While it could be months, or years before we know the full story, the pieces are already falling in place. The latest update comes from Gollust's exist, and how it ties into the larger scandal inside CNN.
Why did Gollust leave CNN?
Jason Kilar, the CEO of WarnerMedia (CNN's parent company) announced Gollust was leaving "following the conclusion of the company’s investigation into issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo." The internal investigation was sparked after accusations Chris used his media connections to help his brother when he was accused of sexual harassment.
From there, it was revealed Chris himself was accused of sexual harassment, which led to an investigation of Zucker's handling of those accusations. That turn of events led to the outing of Zucker and Gollust's affair, which they had not reported to HR. "The investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo," Kilar noted.
On February 2, Zucker chose to step down, while Gollust kept her job as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Now weeks later, it appears she's also done, or so we are being told. It's unclear if Gollust chose to leave the network, or if she was fired, but judging by Kilar's email, it seems like the former.
Gollust says CNN trying to 'change the narrative'
It appears there is some difference between Gollust and CNN over her quitting. In an email to staff, she said, "WarnerMedia’s statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks." She added, "It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN’s highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave."
Gollust claimed WarnerMedia allowed her to break the news to her colleagues first, but before she could do so, Kilar's email was sent. "Unfortunately they jumped the gun, breaking their promise," she wrote. Whatever the reason, it's clear she had to go. After Zucker's firing, many questioned why Gollust was allowed to stay. "No one understood how Allison could stay for the same sins as Jeff," one insider told The Daily Beast. Others described it as "Not surprising but still destabilizing," and "not a great look for us."
It appears as if CNN is trying to clean the house before the Discovery merger. As one insider put it to The Wrap, "Doesn’t it give him (Zucker) a continued ability to influence the organization, given how much power she had there and how close he and Allison are?" With her exit, it appears CNN has now closed the ugly chapter on its relationship with the Cuomo brothers, and the fallout of their sexual harassment allegations.