BREAKING: Chris Licht out as CEO of CNN

Chris Licht is reportedly out as CEO of CNN after a 13-month tenure that has been referred to as one of the most turbulent in the network's history. 

Licht vowed to prune CNN of its partisan personalities and programming, and while numerous political commentators, including Brian Stelter and Don Lemon, were let go during his reign, the network still suffered when it tried to stray from its left-leaning ways.



On Wednesday morning, the network announced Licht's departure live on air, with a reporter calling it "news to us here at CNN and you at home."  She noted that David Zaslav, chairman of CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, had just informed staff during an editorial meeting.

It was stated that the network is searching for a replacement, and that in the interim, the position will be filled by executive vice president of talent and content development, Amy Entelis. The leadership team will also include Virginia Mosely, Eric Sherling, and David Levy.

According to Puck, Licht had already vacated the position when news broke to staff, and that Warner Bros. Discovery will be releasing a statement on the matter in the coming days. 

Licht was the subject of a brutal exposé run by the Atlantic magazine over the weekend, coverage of which overshadowed the content being pushed by his own network. Outlets from the New York Times to Fox News reported on the article, titled "Inside the Meltdown at CNN," putting the spotlight on the embattled network's internal drama.

The exposé revealed that Licht's decision to host the Trump town hall on the network was one of the final nails in his coffin, with reports surfacing soon after that "the mood inside CNN was dour amid widespread reports of internal disgust."

As the Guardian reports, following the media blitz, Licht apologized to his staff, saying "as I read that article, I found myself thinking, CNN is not about me."  

This is a breaking story and will be updated.