CNN Investigation Found Allison Gollust Coordinated with Andrew Cuomo, Was ‘Misleading’ About Zucker Relationship: Reports

Allison Gollust, the former chief marketing officer of CNN, resigned from the network this week after it was determined she was misleading about the timeline of her relationship with former CNN president Jeff Zucker, and that she allegedly allowed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to dictate what he was asked on the air, according to new reports.

The New York Times reported Friday evening that Gollust permitted New York’s former governor to choose his own questions on the air in March of 2020 — a time when he was considered a political rockstar and an example of leadership.

Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin and Emily Steel, writing for the Times, reported:

Before the interview, Governor Cuomo had told a senior CNN executive, Allison Gollust, about subjects that he’d like to be asked about on air, according to several people familiar with the matter. Ms. Gollust, CNN’s longtime chief of communications and marketing and a former top aide of the governor, passed along the topics to CNN producers and then reported back to the governor.

“Done,” she wrote.

The Times reporters noted, “The episode is the latest example of how closely entwined CNN’s leadership was with one of the country’s most prominent Democratic politicians.”

The report followed an earlier one from the Wall Street Journal, in which it was claimed Gollust resigned when the network determined she was not honest about the timeline about the relationship between she and Zucker.

Zucker stepped down earlier from the network he led since 2013, citing the fact he did not disclose his relationship with Gollust when it began. At the time, Gollust issued a statement claiming their “relationship changed during COVID.”

Gollust herself resigned on Tuesday, and blasted CNN parent company WarnerMedia on her way out the door.

Joe Flint and Benjamin Mullin of the Wall Street Journal provided more clarity on why Gollust resigned in a new report out Friday.

The ouster of Zucker and Gollust stems from a sprawling investigation that was initially launched by WarnerMedia to examine former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and his relationship with his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

According to the Journal, the investigation poured though 100,000 text messages and emails, and saw more than 40 interviewed. And it concluded that Gollust was misleading when she said her relationship with Zucker changed during Covid.

The relationship has long been considered an open secret in the media industry. Long before Covid. According to the Journal’s sources, Gollust’s claim it only became romantic recently rankled some within CNN.

The Journal further reported:

In the days after Mr. Zucker’s exit, amid the widening scrutiny over the timing of Ms. Gollust’s relationship with Mr. Zucker, WarnerMedia and CNN determined that her statement was misleading, the people said. Ms. Gollust and Mr. Zucker initially weren’t forthcoming about their relationship when asked by investigators, but eventually acknowledged it while the probe was still ongoing, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

A spokesperson for Gollust, in a statement to the Journal, accused WarnerMedia of “sexism.”

“Allison has been clear that her relationship with Jeff changed during Covid, and regrets that they didn’t properly disclose it to WarnerMedia at that time,” the spokesperson said. “Continuing to publicly debate the private details of her personal life reeks of sexism and only further underscores WarnerMedia’s retaliatory actions against her.”

The resignation of Gollust, and today’s reports, are just the latest piece of internal drama to batter the network.

Earlier this week, Gollust issued a blistering statement aimed at WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar after he apparently denied her an opportunity to announce her resignation on her own terms.

“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,” Kilar told CNN employees in an email. “We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally.”

In a leaked note to her colleagues, Gollust accused her now-former employer of having “jumped the gun” by announcing her resignation.

Gollust also portrayed Kilar’s comments as having been retaliatory in nature.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include reporting from the New York Times, which claims Gollust coordinated with Andrew Cuomo about questions he was asked on the air.