Anti-Trump anchor Jim Acosta was dropped from CNN's new weekday programming slate when it was announced Thursday.
Acosta's program was replaced at 10 a.m. ET by “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown” in the network's latest shuffle. CNN has moved around its hosts and anchors several times over the past few years, but the latest shake-up appears to have left Acosta in limbo.
“We are in active discussions with Jim regarding a new timeslot and will have more information to share soon,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Other shifts include moving Jake Tapper to a two-hour slot from 5 to 7 PM ET, while CNN's prime-time lineup of Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins and Abby Phillippe remains unchanged from 8 to 11 PM ET.
CNN anchor Jim Acosta reminded his viewers a few days before Trump's inauguration that the media is “not the enemy of the people.” (Screenshot/CNN)
It was first reported in Status Bulletin last week that CNN CEO Mark Thompson had offered to move Acosta from his one-hour slot at 10 a.m. ET to a two-hour slot starting at midnight, a much less distinguished slot in Collection. .
Acosta became widely known as CNN's chief White House correspondent due to his antagonistic relationship with President Donald Trump and his spokespeople during Trump's first term. After the 2020 election, Acosta's position at CNN was moved to senior local correspondent, where he anchored on weekends but eventually moved to weekday programming.
While CNN's previous leadership enjoyed the constant sparring matches between Acosta and the first Trump administration, the network's current leadership appears to be trying to appear more neutral in the second round.
CNN anchor Jim Acosta was famously hostile toward President Donald Trump's first administration, and the feeling was mutual. (((Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)))
One employee believes Acosta is being “sprayed with water.” By network.
“Acosta is a talented broadcaster who can handle any slot on the network,” a CNN employee said. Fox News Digital. “The midnight thing is shocking (but) it is what it is.”
The lineup changes were announced on the same day that CNN announced that approximately 6% of the network's workforce would be laid off.
the The Los Angeles Times reported And if Acosta refused to accept the midnight shift, “he might go off the grid,” according to people familiar with his thinking.
The Times also reported that working the midnight shift could move Acosta from CNN's D.C. headquarters to the network's Los Angeles bureau, though the move would not be a requirement because his family is rooted in Washington.
CNN is cutting 6% of its workforce as layoffs take a toll on the struggling network
Jim Acosta was dropped from CNN's new weekday programming slate when it was announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Acosta first joined CNN in 2007, where he covered the political campaigns and ultimately the Obama and Trump White Houses. He quickly became known for asking questions of Trump's White House press secretaries and often sparring with the president himself, developing his own style. A reputation for greatness He received a profile boost from Trump after he called it “fake news.”
Famously, Acosta refused to give up the microphone at a 2018 press conference while clashing with Trump. The white house He tried to revoke Acosta's press pass After the dispute, however, his credentials were restored when CNN alleged 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 a profitable one as he landed a book deal and became a frequent guest on liberal late-night shows, adding to the star power that landed him an anchor chair during Biden's presidency. He recently told viewers that the press is “not the enemy of the people” in a take on Trump.
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