CNN’s Brian Stelter Recalls the Time He Was ‘Canceled’… By CNN

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter recalled the time he was canceled by CNN on Thursday while reporting on the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show at ABC.

“In television, hosts and producers love a plot twist. It would be one hell of a plot twist to have Kimmel return, but I think it is an exceptionally unlikely scenario,” said Stelter on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins. “I do think what’s weighing on Kimmel’s mind, among other factors, is his staff. You know, he is married to his executive producer of the show. Many of his other staff members are like family. You know, he has many people that are depending on him, and there may be a part of him that wants the show to be back on ABC’s airways for that reason. But I’ve got to imagine he has very serious grievances against ABC at this point.”

He continued, “Look, take it from me Kaitlan, I’ve been canceled before on television. Sometimes being canceled is the best thing that could ever happen to a TV host. I think Kimmel might be looking around and realizing he has a once in a lifetime opportunity here, a chance to reinvent himself, but you also have to consider the political stakes and the political climate.”

Stelter announced his surprise return to CNN last year, just a few years after his show had been canceled by then-CEO Chris Licht in 2022.

“The media industry has matured, CNN has evolved, and I have changed a lot since I signed off two years ago,” said Stelter in a statement announcing his return last year. “I loved my old life as the anchor of a Sunday morning show but, to borrow some lingo from my video game blogger days, I finished that level of the game. Time for new levels, new challenges.”

He added, “I always scoffed at people who said ‘getting fired was the best thing that’s ever happened to me’ — until, well, it happened to me.”

Prior to his surprise return, Stelter had thrown cold water on the idea of going back to the network, declaring, “The past is the past” and that he would not “want to do it.”

Watch above via CNN.