Former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta is leaving CNN after being stripped of his morning show and offered a midnight program in its place.
CNN last week announced major lineup changes that included veteran newsman Wolf Blitzer moving his 6 p.m. “Situation Room” to the 10 a.m. spot currently occupied by Acosta. Former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who first reported shakeups at CNN that included roughly 200 layoffs, reported Monday that Acosta didn’t see a future with CNN.
The 53-year-old Washington D.C.-area native appeared to confirm those sentiments Tuesday when he announced the end of his 18-year run at the network.
“You may have seen some reports about me and the show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing in alternative time slots CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on,” Acosta said at the conclusion of his Tuesday morning show.
CNN’s offer to Acosta was reportedly presented to him as an opportunity to move to Los Angeles, where his show would be in prime time on the West Coast. It would largely be seen by night owls and insomniacs in major markets like New York City and Washington D.C. After giving the idea some thought, Acosta took a pass.
AP
Jim Acosta of CNN asks President Donald Trump a question during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House in 2019. (AP)
Acosta had a famously antagonistic relationship with Donald Trump during the President’s first term in office. CNN had to sue the White House in 2018 after he was denied access to the Oval Office. His unfavorable schedule change coincides with Trump’s return to the presidency.
Acosta said Tuesday that people often ask if his clashes with Trump were the highlights of his career.
“Actually, no,” he said emphatically.
According to Acosta, the son of a Cuban refugee, his finest moment was questioning Cuban leader Raul Castro about political prisoners in 2016.
“I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account,” he said. “I’ve always tried to do that here at CNN, and I plan on doing all of that in the future.”
Where he’ll do that next hasn’t been announced.
CNN, which last week announced plans to pivot to a new digital strategy and hire a large number of people to fill new roles, wished a fond farewell to Acosta.
“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” the network said in a statement shared with the Daily News. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”
