Head of Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav delivered a vulgar tirade in support of the combatants CNN CEO Chris Licht amid rumors the times of the cable boss are numbered, The post office learned.
At City Hall on Tuesday with about 600 CNN executives, the CEO of the network’s parent company stood beside Licht, who warned employees that they’d higher take care of him or “discover a job” elsewhere, based on insiders who attended the meeting.
“That is our meeting with destiny. Will we make mistakes? After all. Are we defective? needless to say,” Zaslaw said. “But we are all behind this guy and his mission. America needs objective news.”
Zasław’s strong words appeared after a series of leaks from CNN speculating that Licht can be fired in the approaching months because the network continues to be mired in low rankings and bad publicity attributable to morning presenter Don Lemon’s gaffes.
Sources told The Post that rumors of Licht’s departure are “bullshit” and were began by loyalists of deposed CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who was fired in early 2022 for not disclosing his longtime affair together with his colleague Allison Gollust.
“There are still opponents hoping that Zucker will come back and buy CNN,” a CNN insider said, explaining that Zucker was “beloved” by some on the network.
Zucker, now CEO of personal equity firm RedBird Capital, helped boost CNN’s rankings by specializing in left-wing commentary that usually attacked then-President Donald Trump. Zaslav brought Licht on a mission to bring CNN coverage back to the middle.
“We’re not an advocacy network,” Zaslav said, based on a CNN insider at City Hall, and noted that Licht is “bringing CNN back to its roots” by leading the network to “objective journalism and truth-telling.”
Bored Licht also sent a transparent message to managers, telling them that there are people online who are “not committed [and] we should always help them find work elsewhere.”
CNN didn’t comment.
Sources said Licht’s fiery rhetoric “ruffled feathers amongst Zucker loyalists.”
City Hall got here after news broke that CNN This Morning host Kaitlan Collins had dumped an agent she shared with Lemon.
Collins, 30, was represented by United Talent Agency super agent Jay Sures, but their relationship has soured in recent months as tensions have grown between the young presenter and Lemon, 57, based on a source conversant in the situation.
“Jay didn’t actually represent her,” the source said, pointing to a pivotal period after Lemon yelled at Collins off-camera for interrupting him throughout the December 8 broadcast.
While it’s unclear when Collins broke off her relationship with Sures, sources say she recently transferred to Ari Emanuel’s agency, William Morris Endeavor.
On Wednesday, Sures confirmed the split.
“We wish her the very best of luck in her future endeavors,” Sures told The Post.
Collins declined to comment.
Lemon, a significant Sures client, has been at the middle of much controversy since Licht teamed up with Collins and Poppy Harlow for a revamped morning show last November.
Last month, Lemon caused a national uproar – and angered his colleagues and viewers – when he said that GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “not in her prime.”
He was forced to apologize and undergo indefinite training, however the show, which finished last, continues to interrupt down.