CNN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Allison Gollust is facing calls to resign after CNN boss Jeff Zucker announced his resignation earlier today.
The news came as a shock to many after Zucker revealed that he had not disclosed a “consensual relationship” with his coworker during an internal probe regarding disgraced news anchor Chris Cuomo and the misconduct allegations that he is also facing.
Jeff Zucker Resigns: ‘I Was Required To Disclose It… But I Didn’t’
Jeff Zucker just announced his resignation to a stunned CNN. pic.twitter.com/sWXYNBO20d
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
CNN’s Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter posted Zucker’s resignation announcement to Twitter.
“As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years,” he began.
“I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years,” he continued. “I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong.”
“As a result, I am resigning today,” he continued.
“I came to CNN on January 28, 2013, he went on. “Together, we had nine great years. I certainly wish my tenure here had ended differently. But it was an amazing run. And I loved every minute.”
“I am grateful to the thousands of incredibly talented CNN and Turner Sports employees who helped make this such a joy for me, and such a success for all of us, he concluded. “I wish each of you nothing but the best in the years ahead.”
He signed off the message “With gratitude and much love. Jeff.”
Allison Gollust Issues Statement: ‘I Regret That We Didn’t Disclose It’
“Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years. Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time,” Allison Gollust says in a statement.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
Although Stelter noted that Zucker did not name his colleague in the memo, Allison Gollust issued her own statement and said that she will continue to work at CNN.
In her statement, Gollust said that “Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years. 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 every day,” she added. Gollust came to CNN after leaving NBC in 2013, where she and Zucker had previously worked together for 15 years.
In April 2017, the Daily Mail reported that Zucker and Gollust had gotten into a public argument at the Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Most Powerful People in NY Media Party.
According to witnesses who were at the party, Zucker and Gollust started “intensely speaking and making anguished hand gestures before Gollust stormed away into the crowd.”
“It was something they were dealing with at CNN all day,” a source said at the time. “It wasn’t an argument.” One unnamed executive reportedly mocked, “It looked like she was reprimanding her husband or something.”
CNN Insiders Call For Gollust To Resign: ‘Why Is She Allowed To Keep Her Job?’
According to the New York Post, many female staffers at CNN are “furious” at Gollust for keeping her job after “lying” about her affair with Zucker “for years.”
“Why is she allowed to keep her job?” one CNN employee reportedly asked.
“CNN is supposed to be a transparent news network,” another employee allegedly stated. “How does she get away with lying about their affair for so long?”
Although Gollust reportedly said that their relationship had changed during COVID-19, one insider claimed that the comments were “a total lie.”
“They have been together for years,” the employee reportedly said. “And she’s still lying about it today… the statement she made that ‘recently our relationship changed during COVID’ is a total lie.”
It remains to be seen if Gollust is going to step down due to the backlash. Stelter later added that Jeff Zucker had apparently “preferred to stay on for a short period, to help with a smooth transition, but WarnerMedia wanted otherwise.”
Jeff Zucker addressed CNN’s top execs this morning, shortly before he announced his departure, per two sources. He indicated he would have preferred to stay on for a short period, to help with a smooth transition, but WarnerMedia wanted otherwise.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
