Chris Cuomo’s Lawyers Reportedly Pressed on Jeff Zucker’s ‘Conflict’ in Suit Against CNN

Alex GriffingFeb 2nd, 2022, 2:10 pm
 
Jeff Zucker

Mike Coppola/Getty

CNN chief Jeff Zucker stunned the media world on Wednesday with the sudden announcement of his resignation, leading many to question the timing and exact cause of the abrupt exit.

New reporting from Politico and Puck News sheds light on the legal pressure Zucker was under due to his own “personal conflict of interest” while engaged in a legal battle with former CNN host Chris Cuomo – who was fired from the network for a conflict of interest regarding his brother.

Zucker announced his resignation in an email sent to CNN staff, explaining that he had a “consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong.”

“As a result, I am resigning today,” he added.

While Zucker did not say the name of the woman he was involved with, CNN’s Brian Stelter read a statement on air from Allison Gollust, the chief marketing officer at CNN, confirming the relationship. Gollust was also the communications director to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Chris Cuomo’s brother, for a short period of time.

Zucker wrote in his resignation email that recent inquiries about the relationship were “part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN.”

Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN last December for his role in helping his brother fight off sexual harassment allegations. Chris Cuomo and CNN are still involved in litigation regarding his exit.

Politico reported shortly after Zucker’s announcement, “Two sources with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said that Cuomo’s legal team, which continues to negotiate his exit from the network, raised issues about the relationship between Zucker and Gollust.”

“Cuomo’s legal team asserted that Zucker was hypocritical to suggest Cuomo had a personal conflict of interest when the relationship with Gollust represented a potential conflict as well,” Politico added.

Puck News’ Matt Belloni added to the reporting, noting, “I’m told CNN received a litigation hold letter recently from Chris Cuomo lawyers, demanding, among other things, preservation of all communications between Zucker, comms chief Allison Gollust, and Andrew Cuomo.”

Former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien further added to speculation Wednesday that there was more to the story. O’Brien commented on Zucker’s resignation, saying the relationship with Gollust “was basically an open secret, so the ‘stunned’ part is that he’s resigning, not the relationship.”

The revelations regarding Chris Cuomo’s lawyers pressing Zucker on his relationship with Gollust may help to explain the timing of his exit, but at this point is only speculation. One thing we know for sure, however, is that Ben Smith was right when he noted, “The Cuomo blast radius is incredible.”

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Alex Griffing - Senior Editor

Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing