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CNN anchor Jim Acosta is reportedly leaving the network after he was officially pulled from its programming schedule.
The Status newsletter reported Monday that Acosta was expected to leave CNN after it was announced last week that his 10 a.m. ET program was being replaced with “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown” in the network’s latest reshuffling.
The newsletter previously reported that CNN CEO Mark Thompson pitched Acosta to move him from his one-hour slot at 10 a.m. ET to a two-hour slot beginning at midnight, a far less distinguished place in the lineup.
One CNN insider told Fox News Digital they heard Acosta “struggled with the choice” and may be cutting his contract short as a result.
“It takes courage,” the CNN insider said.
Another CNN insider was dismayed by Acosta’s exit, saying “Many viewers like Jim… if there is anyone who could make the overnight go it’s him,” adding “It’s sad to see him go.”
A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment.
Acosta became more widely known as CNN’s chief White House correspondent for his antagonistic relationship with President Donald Trump and his aides during the first Trump administration. After the 2020 election, Acosta’s status at CNN was shifted to chief domestic correspondent, anchoring a show on the weekends but eventually moving his way to weekday programming.
While CNN’s past leadership reveled in Acosta’s constant sparring matches with the first Trump administration, the network’s current leadership appears to be trying to appear more neutral for the second go-around.
Acosta first joined CNN in 2007, where he covered political campaigns and eventually the Obama and Trump White Houses. He quickly became notorious for shouting questions at Trump’s White House press secretaries and frequently going toe-to-toe with the president himself, developing a reputation for grandstanding and receiving a profile boost by Trump after being called “fake news.”
Acosta famously refused to give up the microphone in a 2018 press conference as he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump. The White House attempted to revoke Acosta’s press pass following the dust-up, but his credentials were restored when CNN argued that it violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights of Acosta and the network.
Acosta’s adversarial relationship with the first Trump administration appeared to be lucrative as he landed himself a book deal and became a guest on liberal late-night shows, further fueling the star power that landed him an anchor chair during the Biden presidency. He recently told viewers the press is “not the enemy of the people” in a shot at Trump.
