Allison Gollust is no longer the chief marketing officer at CNN as she has handed in her resignation in light of ongoing investigations.
An external law firm carried out these probings due to issues surrounding Chris Cuomo and the former Governor of the company Andrew Cuomo.
The retired chief marketing officer believes that WarnerMedia is attempting to retaliate over her decision to quit the company for good.
Allison Gollust Accuses WarnerMedia of Retaliation Following Her Resignation
On Tuesday, February 15, Jason Kilar, WarnerMedia CEO, broke the news of Gollust’s exit in a memo to CNN staffers according to ET.
This announcement came at the end of the organization’s investigations carried out by a former federal judge and an external law firm.
The probing process involved interviews of over 40 individuals surrounding the case and a review of more than 100,000 emails and texts.
Kilar confirmed that the investigation uncovered violations of WarnerMedia policies, as well as CNN’S News Standards and Practices by Gollust, Chris Cuomo, and Jeff Zucker.
CNN Marketing Chief Allison Gollust Resigns As Probe Accuses Her, Jeff Zucker And Chris Cuomo Of Company Policy Violations https://t.co/o7vLnugjFi pic.twitter.com/75q4h7QQ1K
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 16, 2022
The Warner Media CEO insinuated that he would not be turning a blind eye to the findings, saying, “We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally.”
Gollust did not stay silent after Kilar dropped his memo and replied with a statement that credited the note as an attempt at rebuttal over her resignation weeks after Zucker, CNN’s president, quit. 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, 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 explained that she is walking away from her job with her head held high and the belief that she gave all she had towards collaborating with the world’s finest journalists.
Calls For Allison Gollust’s Exit Started After Jeff Zuker Left
The Blast previously disclosed that, after Zucker announced his resignation, Gollust began receiving calls to follow suit.
The network’s former president quit when he admitted he refused to disclose a consensual relationship with a coworker during an internal probe surrounding disgraced news anchor Chris Cuomo and his misconduct allegations.
Brian Stelter Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter posted Zucker’s resignation announcement via Twitter, which read:
“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. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began, but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.”
Zucker recalled joining CNN on January 29, 2013, wishing he had ended his tenure on better terms. Nevertheless, he claimed to love every minute of it.
The former president expressed his gratitude and love to the “thousands of incredibly talented CNN and Turner Sports employees” who made the company a success and wished them the best.
Though Gollust’s lover was walking away from a nine-year career, she had no intentions to lose anything over their relationship and announced she planned to continue working.
Gollust expressed, “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.”
The chief marketing officer said she looked forward to working with the company, but her bubble was burst by other female staffers who, according to the (New York Post, were “furious” with her.
These workers accused Gollust of “lying” about her affair with the former CNN president “for years.” An employee reportedly asked, “Why is she allowed to keep her job?”
Another allegedly said, “CNN is supposed to be a transparent news network. How does she get away with lying about their affair for so long?”
Though Gollust stated that her relationship with Zucker began during the pandemic, an insider claimed that is false, adding,
“They have been together for years. And she’s still lying about it today… the statement she made that ‘recently our relationship changed during COVID’ is a total lie.”
