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One of CNN’s top hosts has been pulled off the airwaves to deal with a “personal issue.”
Jim Sciutto was subject to an internal investigation earlier this year in which it was discovered that he suffered a “serious fall” when he was in Amsterdam, The Daily Best reported.
Subsequently the network bosses have instructed him to take time off to address that situation.
He made his last appearance on Monday during an episode of “Newsroom” alongside Poppy Harlow but his been off the network since.
This comes at a time when CNN is facing a fall of its own.
According to reports, the network dismissed another 20 staffers left over from the failed CNN+ streaming offering that was canceled earlier this year less than a month after its launch.
The employees who were laid off Wednesday included staffers with the Interview Club, which was hyped to subscribers as providing “access to newsmakers like never before,” several sources told The Daily Beast.
“Leadership has spent the past several months evaluating our business to ensure it is best positioned for the future,” a CNN spokesperson noted in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “CNN has opened more than 300 new jobs since May and will continue to align our resources with our greatest opportunities for growth.”
The outlet noted further:
The Interview Club was initiated alongside CNN+ and offered subscribers the chance to connect with CNN talent such as anchors, reporters, and guests. Staffers who were given the pink slip were told they could apply for other work at the network.
Earlier this month, reports noted that remaining CNN staffers were “terrified” of being fired as the new CEO, Chris Licht, appears to be doing some house cleaning by getting rid of the most partisan talents at the network.
Brian Stelter, the former host of “Reliable Sources,” which was also canceled, was terminated last month and White House correspondent John Harwood had his contract cut short after backing President Joe Biden’s anti-“MAGA Republicans” speech.
It was Harwood’s termination that was seen as a possible change in the strategy of the network by getting rid of those who could be considered woke, The Washington Post reported.
Neither the network nor Harwood said if he was fired, quit or it was a mutual decision, but the timing had many wondering if his praise of President Biden’s divisive speech was the cause.
Harwood said in a tweet, “personal news: today’s my last day at CNN proud of the work thanks to my colleagues I’ve been lucky to serve the best in American media – St. Petersburg Times, WSJ, NYT, the NBC family, CNN look forward to figuring out what’s next.”
Some current employees of CNN spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity of their concerns.
“People are freaked out,” one journalist said. “It almost feels like there’s a pattern. Is there a purge going on? They seem to be sending a message: ‘Watch what you say. Watch what you do.’”
“It’s a really confusing and unsettling time from top to bottom at CNN,” one producer said. “I don’t know anyone who is happy right now.”
“I think they’re hoping people will just guess what to do,” another journalist said.
“Longtime CNN personalities are disappearing, and the viewers don’t know why,” another employee said.
Last month, Stelter issued a warning to employees at the network in a speech about his departure.
“The thing about TV is that it’s ephemeral, right?” he said. “It’s fleeting. It evaporates up into the air, and a lot of it is not even meant to be remembered. But this program transcended that.”
“CNN has a new owner. Warner Brothers Discovery is making big changes across the company,” he said.
Earlier this week, former Fox News host Chris Wallace bombed in his debut for his new employer.
The show, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” debuted on Sunday for CNN and the Nielsen ratings show that not many people tuned in, The Washington Examiner reported.
“The ratings show that there were 401,000 viewers, down 29% from the average, and 44,000 among those aged 25 to 54, down 64% from the average,” the report said.
By contrast, his competition on Fox News “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy,” garnered 1.3 million viewers and 78,000 in the 25 – 54 demographic.
His first guest was former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, a liberal, who defended the court after it decided to end Roe V Wade.
