CNN anchor Jim Acosta is reportedly considering quitting the network after being demoted from his prized 10 am show and threatened with banishment to a midnight-to-2 am slot. Acosta’s 10 am ratings are good, but his notorious past clashes with Donald Trump have made network bosses nervous as Trump begins his second term as president.
The demotion was confirmed by CNN boss Mark Thompson on Thursday, who announced 200 layoffs in the TV division. Acosta will be replaced on the 10 am show by The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown. The anchor is currently in talks with CNN bosses about another role, but sources claim he may “exit the network” due to the proposed demotion.
Fox News reported that Acosta is “getting hosed” inside CNN’s offices over his “shocking” demotion. An insider suggested that accepting the midnight-to-2 am slot is his “only path forward” at the network. However, the anchor’s relationship with the president is said to have made network chiefs keen to water down the theatrics, believing moving Acosta to a late-night slot would achieve this goal.
Acosta’s proposed new show would see him reporting from the LA bureau, rather than the Washington office close to his home. The new timings would mean that the anchor is on air between 9 and 11 pm PT, which is primetime on the West Coast. Several other staffers are said to be furious with the proposals, viewing them as bending the knee to Trump.
Acosta’s relationship with the president has been marked by verbal sparring matches, including a notable clash in 2018 where his press pass was revoked after a heated exchange. The decision was later challenged when Acosta and CNN presented it in front of a federal judge.
CNN boss Mark Thompson is said to be keen to avoid some of the dramatics that characterized Acosta’s relationship with President Trump during his first term. The network is reportedly considering a series of shake-ups, with longtime anchor Wolf Blitzer set to slide into a new morning timeslot to replace Acosta.