CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned after failing to disclose a consensual relationship with a longtime co-worker, ending a nine-year run atop the cable news network.
Zucker, 56, made the announcement in a message to staff, according to an emailed copy obtained by Bloomberg. He said he was asked about the relationship as part of the network’s investigation into former program host Chris Cuomo. 

“I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years,” Zucker wrote. “I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong.”

The woman in the relationship is Allison Gollust, executive VP and chief marketing officer for CNN. Both are divorced. She will stay on with the network.

“Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years,” Gollust said in a statement. “Recently, our relationship changed during Covid. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time. I’m incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.”

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Zucker has been a major player in the TV industry for decades and was known as a hands-on leader at CNN, routinely leading morning news meetings.

Under his leadership, CNN tried to portray itself as a source for straight news and distinguish itself from Comcast Corp’s left-leaning MSNBC and the right-leaning Fox News. But Zucker also wanted to make the network more personality-driven, especially in prime-time, helping anchors like Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper become household names.

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Recently, Zucker faced scrutiny after allowing Chris Cuomo to engage in friendly banter on air with his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, then waiting several months to fire him for his conduct in gathering information about sexual-harassment accusations against his brother.

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—Bloomberg News