Was CEO Chris Licht fired from CNN?

CNN has reportedly broken ties with its recently-installed CEO Chris Licht who, it was announced at a meeting today, will be stepping down from his post. Now questions are swirling about whether he was outright fired after just one year with the title.

Before coming on to CNN, Licht was a producer and showrunner over at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and previously worked on Morning Joe on MSNBC as well as at CBS. Licht pledged to rebuild trust in the network’s staffers and personalities, promised a reset with prominent Republicans. However, just a few days ago, The Atlantic ran a profile of Licht which reveals those behind the scenes at CNN feel he was distant, that Licht knew the network’s recent town hall event with former President Donald Trump was an embarrassment and a disaster, and that he is often micromanaged by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Today, The Hill has reported news of Licht stepping down was relayed to staff on a call this morning he did not participate in. While this does not indicate a dismissal, it could also be the case he just received a graceful exit and an interim leadership team will be in place. Zaslav reportedly joined the call, and thanked Licht for his service while taking personal responsibility for upheaval at the cable news pioneer. What’s next is uncertain. He could always go back to Colbert if need be and, in the profile which sparked so much recent controversy, it is also revealed Colbert even warned him to not go and take the job.