CNN president Jeff Zucker abruptly resigns after revealing a consensual relationship with a colleague

Variety

Zucker wrote in a staff memo that he had not disclosed the relationship during an investigation into fired anchor Chris Cuomo. “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I 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,” Zucker wrote in the memo to staff. As a result, I am resigning today.” Zucker's resignation has thrown CNN into disarray weeks before it is and the rest of Warner Media is scheduled to be taken over by Discovery. As Variety notes, Zucker was also tasked with overseeing Turner Sports and the bulk of WarnerMedia’s live programming. Variety says the unnamed colleague is Allison Gollust, CNN’s chief marketing officer and a longtime Zucker lieutenant. Last year, then-NBC News reporter Dylan Byers reported that Gollust "has emerged as the leading internal candidate to take over the network if Zucker steps down as president." Gollust has worked closely with Zucker since they were colleagues at NBC News. ALSO: Donald Trump responds by calling his former NBC boss Jeff Zucker "a world-class sleazebag."