Exploring Jeff Zucker’s Resignation from CNN & Relationship with Colleague

By: Ellen Cans

On Wednesday, the media world was baffled to hear of the sudden resignation of Jeff Zucker from his role of Chief Executive Officer at CNN.

As reported by the NY Times, his departure came days after he admitted to company lawyers that he was in a romantic relationship with his professional colleague, Allison Gollust. Zucker served as CEO for nine years, since 2013, previously having served as CEO of NBC Universal. The 56-year-old had been rumored to have been in a relationship with Gollust for some time. She, a 49-year-old senior leader at CNN, goes by the titles CNN executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She also served as Mr. Zucker’s chief spokeswoman, defending him against his toughest foes. The two worked side by side for over 20 years, beginning in 1997 when he was an executive producer and she started out as a senior publicist at NBC’s “Today” show.

While Zucker’s departure remains steeped in mystery, one thing that’s clear is that he was suddenly forced to step down by WarnerMedia, CNN’s parent company. The timing is precarious for CNN as it is poised begin a subscription streaming platform in a few weeks, and WarnerMedia is very close to a long awaited merger with Discovery Inc. The fact that the relationship should cause such a shakeup has stumped even CNN staffers, including journalists and producers who wondered about it on the air. Both Zucker and Gollust are divorced adults in high ranking positions who engaged in a consensual relationship.

WarnerMedia’s standard policy requires that personal relationships must be disclosed immediately to “avoid a conflict of interest,” especially if one of parties is in a “position to influence” a career track. As per the Times, in recent years it had been clear to see that Zucker and Gollust were always together, traveling and functioning as a unit. He rarely had made public appearances without her in the last year. They sat together at corporate dinners, galas and events. “They were joined at the hip,” wrote former “Today” anchor Katie Couric, referring to the pair in her 2021 memoir, “Going There.” Mr. Zucker was divorced in 2017, and Ms. Gollust had filed for divorce in 2015. On Wednesday while announcing his resignation, Mr. Zucker wrote in his memo, “The relationship evolved in recent years.” Ms. Gollust, for her part, wrote: “Recently, our relationship changed during Covid.” Ms. Gollust said she would remain at CNN.

Jason Kilar, chief executive of WarnerMedia who asked Mr. Zucker to resign, told CNN journalists on Wednesday that he was previously “not aware of the relationship”.