First Jeff Zucker got the boot, now his girlfriend. Warner Media found that she violated their standards and practices.
The memo went out from Jason Kilar.
Gollust came with Zucker to CNN in 2013 after working for him at NBC for years. Their marriages broke up because of their closeness. Zucker and Gollust’s relationship was an open secret for years among media people and everyone at CNN knew about it. CNN conducted a thorough investigation, went through all of Zucker and Gollust’s emails, and concluded that Gollust– who briefly worked for Andrew Cuomo between her NBC and CNN stints — had violated company policies. So she’s out.
Here’s the memo to the staff from Jason Kilar, CEO of Warner Media:
“Earlier today, Allison Gollust resigned from CNN following the conclusion of the Company’s investigation into issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“Performed by a third-party law firm and led by a former federal judge, the investigation was comprehensive and definitive. It was commissioned in September and concluded this weekend, which now allows the company to share additional information. Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo. We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules apply to everyone equally.
Kilar added: “I realize this news is troubling, disappointing, and frankly, painful to read. These are valid feelings many of you have.”
Here’s the link to a breaking NY Times story about the Cuomos and Zucker.
