‘We’re Not in That Game’: CNN Chief Says He Would Never Hire O’Reilly

Megyn Kelly went to NBC. Greta Van Susteren resurfaced at MSNBC. Kirsten Powers and Alisyn Camerota found a new home at CNN. Half the talent you know and love on any given channel used to work for a competitor and many of them were snatched up by opportunistic executives during times of upheaval.
All of that being said, Fox News’s former superstar Bill O’Reilly will not be appearing on CNN any time soon.
No, there weren’t really any rumors that he would be, but the move isn’t unprecedented, especially given how hard Jeff Zucker reportedly tried to get Kelly to join the cable network’s talent roster a few months ago when she fled Fox. Oh, and of course, you can’t forget how candidly Zucker has spoken about his view that commentators on CNN are like characters in a drama. What could be more dramatic than hiring a ratings monster at the center of a sex scandal?
Turns out, it doesn’t matter what could be more dramatic. It’s not happening.
During the Information’s New York subscriber summit yesterday, Zucker himself shot down the idea that he’d ever hire O’Reilly, who was recently ousted from Fox because of the allegations of sexual harassment that have been leveled at him.
“We’re not in that game,” he said. “We’re not interested.”
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