When CNN announced its new weekday lineup on Thursday, anti-Trump anchor Jim Acosta was left out.
In the network’s latest shakeup, Acosta’s 10 a.m. ET show has been replaced by “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown.” CNN has changed hosts and anchors several times over the past few years, but the latest personnel changes appear to have put Acosta in a difficult position.
“We are actively discussing new time slots with Jim and will share more information soon,” a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Other adjustments include Jake Tapper moving to a two-hour slot from 5 to 7 p.m. ET, and CNN’s primetime Anderson Cooper from 8 to 11 p.m. The lineup remains the same with Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins and Abby Phillip.
CNN’s Jim Acosta takes aim at Trump as he returns to office, says ‘we are not the enemy of the people’
CNN anchor Jim Acosta reminded viewers days before Trump’s inauguration that the media “is not the enemy of the people.” (Screenshot/CNN)
The Status newsletter first reported last week that CNN CEO Mark Thompson approached Acosta with a proposal to move him from his one-hour slot at 10 a.m. ET to a two-hour slot starting at midnight. is a far less prominent position in the lineup.
Acosta is best known as CNN’s chief White House correspondent for his hostile relationship with President Donald Trump and his spokesman during Trump’s first term. After the 2020 election, Acosta shifted his position at CNN to chief domestic correspondent, anchoring weekend programming, but eventually moved to weekday programming.
While CNN’s past leadership was enthusiastic about Acosta’s ongoing feud with the first Trump administration, the network’s current leadership appears to be trying to appear more neutral in the runoff.
CNN Plaintiff in defamation trial celebrates ‘defense’ after court drama: ‘I’m glad it’s over’
CNN’s Jim Acosta’s hostility to President Donald Trump’s first administration was well known, and the feeling was mutual . ((Reuters/Jonathan Ernst))
One staff member believed Acosta was being “bombarded” by the Internet.
“Acosta is a talented broadcaster who can handle any time slot on the network,” a CNN staffer told Fox News Digital. “What happened at midnight was shocking. [but] That’s it.
CNN announced the lineup changes on the same day it announced it would lay off about 6% of its staff.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Acosta “may quit the network” if he refuses to accept the night shift, according to people familiar with his thinking.
The Times also reported that working the night shift could move Acosta from CNN’s Washington headquarters to the network’s Los Angeles bureau, though the move is not necessary because his family has roots in Washington.
CNN lays off 6% of staff as layoffs hit struggling network
Jim Acosta was left out of CNN’s new weekday lineup when it was announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Acosta first joined CNN in 2007, where he covered political campaigns and eventually the Obama and Trump White Houses. He quickly gained notoriety for barking questions to Trump’s White House press secretary and often confronting the president himself, earning a reputation for grandstanding and a boost from Trump after being called “fake news.”
Acosta famously engaged in a contentious spat with Trump during a 2018 press conference in which he refused to give up the microphone. After the altercation, the White House attempted to revoke Acosta’s press pass, but it was reinstated when CNN argued it violated Acosta’s and the network’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.
Acosta’s adversarial relationship with the first-term Trump administration appears to be profitable, as he has earned himself a book deal and become a regular guest on liberal late-night shows, further bolstering his role in the Biden presidency Get the star power of a hosting spot. In a recent attack on Trump, he told viewers that the media “is not the enemy of the people.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
