CNN Reportedly Looking to Replace John King with Dana Bash

CNN appears poised to make yet another change in its programming, this time by replacing John King on Inside Politics with Dana Bash, his ex-wife, according to The Daily Beast’s Confider newsletter.

Bash currently co-hosts CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on Sundays at 9 a.m.

Like the network’s programming in general, Inside Politics, which airs weekdays at noon and Sundays at 8 a.m., has struggled in the ratings. Since taking over for Jeff Zucker in February 2022, CNN CEO Chris Licht has made several high-profile personnel moves that saw the departures of longtime hosts such as Chris Cuomo and Brian Stelter. Other on-air personalities such as John Harwood and Jeffrey Toobin have also been let go. Meanwhile, Don Lemon was moved from primetime to CNN’s morning show, leading to occasional awkward moments on-air, as well as some behind-the-scenes drama.

On Monday, Confider reported:

…CNN is looking to shake up its daily Inside Politics show by likely replacing anchor John King with CNN’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash, who currently co-anchors State of the Union with Jake Tapper. The swap would be doubly notable as King and Bash were previously married and share a son together. A rep for CNN declined to comment.

Licht has moved the network away from what CNN’s critics regarded as a liberal partisan slant and instead has emphasized straight news programming. CNN primetime in particular has been a focus of experimentation as Licht attempts to figure out a winning formula to try to restore the channel’s former glory. Strong opinion commentary from hosts like Cuomo and Lemon has given way to increased use of panels consisting of liberals and conservatives to offer more diverse viewpoints.