Some of CNN's most liberal stars, who were ousted under previous leadership, have returned to the air in recent weeks, marking a new shift away from the network's mission to make it less partisan.
Almost since CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, canned the network's embattled CEO Chris Richt, who was brought in to restore the journalistic credibility CNN lost during the Trump administration. One year has passed.
Among the changes Richt made were personnel changes, particularly those of the most anti-Trump voices who helped redefine CNN as a news organization aligned with MSNBC, which openly embraces far-left positions. Some were expelled. But at least three of them crawled back onto his CNN airwaves.
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CNN continues to reverse decisions made by ousted CEO Chris Licht. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Jeffrey Toobin, CNN's chief legal analyst, was widely believed to have been forced out by the Licht administration after he “decided” to leave CNN after 20 years in August 2022. Toobin is perhaps best known for being caught masturbating during a Zoom call with colleagues at The New Yorker in October 2020. At the time, he was fired from The New Yorker, but was granted leave by CNN and ultimately allowed to return the following year. Licht's predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
Toobin has made a remarkable comeback in recent weeks, appearing on CNN at least 20 times, many to discuss former President Trump's hush money trial. He is often introduced to viewers as a “former federal prosecutor.”
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Jeffrey Toobin left CNN in 2022 following the Zoom masturbation scandal, but has appeared regularly on CNN in recent weeks. (Screenshot/CNN)
Don Lemon, another longtime CNN star, has been through a lot of upheaval, including leaving his primetime solo show, behind-the-scenes drama on his new morning show, and controversial “past his prime” comments about Nikki Haley. After several months, he was fired in April last year.
Last month, Lemon appeared on CNN again to talk about breaking the X deal with Elon Musk on “Erin Burnett Outfront.”
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In a recent interview, Lemon left the door open about officially returning to CNN.
“Look, I'm not saying never,” Lemon said, “Most of the people involved in my expulsion are gone now. So it was there before I got there. It's like a place. So it's going to be interesting. “
Don Lemon returned to CNN last month to talk about his feud with Elon Musk. (Screenshot/CNN)
Brian Stelter, CNN's former chief media correspondent, said Richt's decision to cancel “Reliable Sources,” the network's long-running media-focused Sunday show, which Stelter has hosted since 2013, He was fired in August 2022.
Stelter appeared on CNN several times late last year during his book tour, but reappeared twice during Tuesday's coverage of the Trump trial. He was introduced as a “correspondent for Vanity Fair.”
Asked if he was returning to CNN permanently for X, Stelter said, “I'm just visiting.”
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A source familiar with Toobin, Lemon and Stelter's recent appearances told Fox News Digital that they were merely “guests” and there were no discussions about returning them to official status.
The three former CNN staffers may not be on the network's payroll, but their return to the network's airwaves represents a strong rebuke from current CNN staff for decisions made during the Richt era. There is no difference.
Former CNN host Brian Stelter has been invited back to the network as part of its coverage of the Trump hush money trial. (Screenshot/CNN)
Mr. Licht was tapped by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to put CNN back on track, but CNN continues to lose viewers, and Mr. Zucker himself is amidst scandal, leaving the network in February 2022. Prior to his dismissal, he was steeped in liberal, anti-Trump leanings.
During his nearly year-long tenure, Licht struggled to win the trust of CNN's public, but CNN rejected claims that the network had a liberal bias and hired Licht to address them. I was disappointed. The beginning of the end for Richt's time at CNN was the now-infamous Trump Town Hall in May 2023, which sparked an open revolt among employees. The following month, Licht faced further backlash from comments he made in a profile published in The Atlantic and was canned.
In addition to rolling out the red carpet for CNN staffers Licht fired, Licht's programming decisions also appear to have been reversed. “CNN This Morning,” Licht's effort to revive the Zucker-era signature morning show “New Day,” was effectively eliminated earlier this year as part of a weekday programming overhaul (among others). “Early Start” was renamed “CNN This Morning”).
Another of Richt's brainchild, CNN's weekly prime-time experimental show “King,” starring CBS host Gayle King and former NBA superstar turned TNT sports analyst Charles Barkley. Charles” quietly ended its limited broadcast this month due to low viewer ratings.
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CNN quietly ended “King Charles” earlier this month due to poor ratings for the struggling network. (Screenshot/CNN)
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“King Charles,” which began airing in November, a few months after Richt's firing, had an initial audience of just 501,000 viewers, and its viewership numbers have continued to decline since then (CNN) repeatedly pointed to strong streaming numbers, which were not made public). CNN had always branded “King Charles” as a limited series, an effort to help energize the network's passionate audience by hiring big-name outside talent. That's for sure.
Between the programming reversal and the return of previously ousted on-air personalities, Richt's permanent footprint at CNN will further shrink.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and to him on Twitter @JosephWulfsohn.