CNN to lay off 'hundreds' of staff in first days of second Trump presidency: reports

Fox News contributor Steve Hilton reacts to JD Vance's exchange with CNN's Jake Tapper about the real issues facing Americans on The Big Money Show.

CNN is reportedly set to lay off “hundreds” of employees in the first few days President Donald Trump second administration.

Puck announced that CNN CEO Mark Thompson would notify his staff of the network's layoffs Thursday morning, while CNBC said the layoffs “will not affect CNN's most well-known names under contract,” according to sources.

CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fox News Digital announced earlier in November that CNN would face major layoffs by March and that the impact on the network would be “very significant.”

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CNN is reportedly set to lay off “hundreds” of employees in the first days of the second Trump administration. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Overall, I'm very sad and deeply frustrated,” the longtime CNN employee told Fox News Digital. “Feelings that are pervasive throughout the organization among those who have been here a long time and feel a deep personal connection to having helped build the organization.”

“It's a time of complete and utter business model overhaul and chaos. Extremely difficult even under the best of circumstances,” the CNN insider added.

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Another CNN staffer quoted Thompson, who has been on the job for just over a year, as outspoken about how the company will have to undergo major changes to survive.

“I'm concerned because the industry is obviously in trouble … I'm sure there will be cuts,” a second CNN employee told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital previously reported that CNN employees are preparing for mass layoffs that are expected to take place by March. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The employee suspected that “more shows will be streamlined and produced outside of Atlanta” and that “expensive” shows produced in New York are most affected.

CNN's financial problems came into focus last week after a jury found the network had them slandered a war veteran and approved that he could claim punitive damages. The legal battle resulted in a settlement.

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Forensic economist Robert W. Johnson, who was hired by the plaintiffs to assess CNN's finances, testified that CNN was worth $4.4 billion in 2021 but had fallen to $2.3 billion in 2023, according to tax documents provided by the network .

Johnson's data also showed that CNN's revenue fell from $2.2 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2023. CNN's net income for the same period fell from $0.6 billion in 2021 to $0.4 billion in 2023.