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Jim Acosta on CNN
Image via CNN

Was Jim Acosta fired, or is he leaving CNN of his own accord?

The timing is certainly suspicious.

America is experiencing some major shake-ups in the early days of Donald Trump’s second presidential term, and the ripple effects are far-reaching.

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So far-reaching, in fact, that in late January they hit CNN. The news network announced shake-ups to its programming for 2025 as the month rolled to a close, and the update included some very surprising news about seasoned correspondent Jim Acosta. The former chief White House correspondent for CNN spent the last year hosting Newsroom to great success, so when news of major career changes came down, audiences were left reeling.

Newsroom enjoyed a 10am ET slot for the last year, earning it plenty of views and solid ratings, but shifts at the network robbed the show of its primetime slot. Acosta’s time slot saw a major downgrade for 2025 — with CNN offering him the deeply unappealing midnight ET slot instead — which sparked immediate rumors of his departure.

Those rumors were soon confirmed by Acosta himself, but the anchor’s fans are still unsure of who to blame for the abrupt change. The timing of CNN’s decision is certainly suspicious — something Acosta himself has noted — but was the anchor outright fired by the network?

Did Jim Acosta chose to leave CNN?

Within hours of CNN’s anchor shuffle, viewers were predicting a new direction for Acosta. Going from the 10am slot to midnight is a huge change, and not a positive one. With Acosta’s pedigree and popularity, it was a no-brainer for him to seek greener pastures.

Which is exactly what he’s set to do. Acosta announced his departure from CNN in a Jan. 28 broadcast, in which he heavily eluded to the impact President Trump is already having on the country. In his final CNN sign-off, Acosta thanked the cast and crew of his program, and explained that he has “decided to move on.”

Acosta went on to proclaim the highlight of his career to be a 2016 exchange with former Cuban President Raúl Castro, in which Acosta was granted the opportunity to question the dictator “about the island’s political prisoners.”

That trip, Acosta’s background as the son of a Cuban immigrant, and the terrifying rise of Donald Trump taught the 53-year-old a vital lesson: “It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.”

Adding that he believes it is “the job of the press to hold power to account,” Acosta seemingly confirmed buzzing rumors about his departure. Fans already suspected that CNN purposefully shuffled him out of the spotlight as a means to appease Trump, and it seems Acosta may agree.

“Don’t give into the lies. Don’t give into the fear,” Acosta said as a closing statement. “Hold onto the truth, and to hope.”

The newly free agent promised to announce further career moves in the coming days, but fans aren’t overly worried over his prospects. He’s a popular reporter with a stellar resume at his back — he’ll find a good fit, and it likely won’t take long. What’s far more ominous is this quiet display of loyalty from the traditionally left-leaning CNN. While its possible no Trumpish motivators urged the network to strip Acosta of his time slot, the optics sure aren’t painting a pretty picture, and we’re not the only ones to notice.


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Author
Image of Nahila Bonfiglio
Nahila Bonfiglio
Nahila carefully obsesses over all things geekdom and gaming, bringing her embarrassingly expansive expertise to the team at We Got This Covered. She is a Staff Writer and occasional Editor with a focus on comics, video games, and most importantly 'Lord of the Rings,' putting her Bachelors from the University of Texas at Austin to good use. Her work has been featured alongside the greats at NPR, the Daily Dot, and Nautilus Magazine.