Why Did Allison Gollust, Chief Marketing Officer Resigns From CNN?
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CNN
The CNN chief marketing officer, Allison Gollust, resigned following a WarnerMedia investigation into Chris Cuomo’s efforts to help his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
Allison Gollust’s resignation was announced by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in a memo to CNN staffers on Tuesday. WarnerMedia initially produced a “comprehensive and definitive” internal investigation led by “a third-party law firm and a former federal judge.”
According to a memo released by CEO Jason Kilar from Tuesday, “the investigation found Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo violated Company policies.”
What Was In The Investigation?
NBCUniversal colleague Gollust also resigned abruptly two weeks ago over a similar charge. Zucker failed to disclose his relationship with Gollust, whom he worked with at NBCUniversal.
“As a result of interviews with over 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of CNN’s News Standards and Practices by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo,” Kilar wrote in a memo.
Allison Gollust's response: "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." (1/2)
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 16, 2022Advertisement
A woman was identified earlier this month as the woman with whom Zucker had a “consensual relationship”. In an apparent violation of company, policies he rejoined CNN in 2013 as his “closest colleague”. It was identified earlier this month as the woman with whom Zucker had a relationship.
As soon as Allison Gollust heard about WarnerMedia’s statement, she fired back with her own. “WarnerMedia’s reaction is a retaliation against me and an attempt to change the media narrative following the disastrous handling they have shown over the past two weeks,” she wrote.
Kilar’s memo did not describe what policy Zucker, Gollust, and Cuomo might have violated-or how they might have interfered with the network’s news standards and practices.
The Couple’s Romance Dates Back Only Two Years, According To Media Insiders
It has been widely reported that the pair’s romance only began in the last two years. Zucker and his wife Caryn Nathanson separated in 2018 and later divorced; Gollust is also divorced from her husband, William Hult, CEO of Tradewell Markets. Olivia and Ava are the couple’s children.
Jeff Zucker just announced his resignation to a stunned CNN. pic.twitter.com/sWXYNBO20d
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 2, 2022
The relationship had been acknowledged previously by Allison Gollust, but he stated it started during COVID, which many media insiders viewed as disingenuous if not outright false.
Allison Gollust said that for over 20 years, Jeff and I have been close friends and business partners. This changed during our time at COVID. Gollust said earlier that she regrets not disclosing it as soon as possible.
Gollust And Zucker’s Relationship Was No Secret
The relationship between Zucker and Gollust was no secret. In her recently published tell-all book, Going There, veteran news anchor Katie Couric mentions Zucker and Gollust’s romance. Curry, who was a longtime co-host on the Today show when Zucker was its executive producer before they reunited in 2011 on her ABC daytime talk show, Katie, remembers how he unsuccessfully sought the hiring of Gollust to appear on her show.
Couric further noted that she did not hire former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo communications director Gollust to work at CNN. It seems Couric’s decision backfired, as she was not considered for a job at CNN, despite supporting Zucker’s candidacy.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
