CNN's Christiane Amanpour to leave network after 43 years
In short
CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour, 68, said on 19 October (local time) that she will leave the network after 43 years. Outlets differ on the end date: May or June next year. She gave no reason, and AP noted the timing coincides with Skydance taking over CNN's parent company.
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Christiane Amanpour, 68, CNN's chief international anchor, is leaving the network after 43 years, Korean outlets reported, citing AP. According to the reports, she said in a statement released through CNN on 19 October (local time) that she decided to leave after months of deliberation. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Yonhap and Maeil Business report that she will host her international news programme 'Amanpour' until May next year and then leave. Kyunghyang Shinmun reports that CNN said she will wrap up her work at the end of next June. In the statement, as quoted by Kyunghyang Shinmun, she said she was looking forward to exciting new projects and added: 'Remember, always be truthful, not neutral.' The paper also reports that CNN chairman Mark Thompson called her one of the world's most trusted and beloved journalists in a memo to staff. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Amanpour did not give a reason for leaving. AP, as relayed by the outlets, said the timing coincides with Skydance's acquisition earlier this month of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company. Yonhap and Maeil Business say Skydance chief executive David Ellison is close to President Donald Trump and that some observers expect a shift in CNN's coverage. Kyunghyang Shinmun says Ellison promised CNN's editorial independence but that some observers think its reporting could be affected. Yonhap and Maeil Business also recall that Trump barred three outlets, including CNN, from the White House last month, saying they ran negative stories about his administration and the Republican Party. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Amanpour joined CNN in 1983. She became widely known as a war correspondent covering conflicts including the Gulf War and the Bosnian war in the early 1990s. She later worked as a correspondent and international news anchor, reporting from the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe and interviewing world leaders. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
She is also known for an episode in September 2022, when she was due to interview then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in New York during the UN General Assembly. An Iranian side official asked her to wear a hijab, she refused, and the interview did not take place. Kyunghyang Shinmun says she explained that she covers her head when reporting in Iran, under local law and custom, but that outside Iran she did not need to wear a hijab. Yonhap and Maeil Business say that at the time protests were spreading across Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being taken away by police for not wearing a hijab. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Yonhap and Maeil Business add that Amanpour made public in 2021 that she had ovarian cancer. Born to an Iranian father and a British mother, she said she had the privilege of seeing the world from two perspectives, according to AP. [ 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Korean outlets link the departure in timing to CNN's new ownership under Skydance, whose chief executive is described as close to President Trump, and some observers speculate about changes in CNN's coverage. None of the documents says why she is leaving.
Key facts
- Christiane Amanpour, 68, announced in a statement released through CNN on 19 October (local time) that she is leaving CNN after 43 years. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- She joined CNN in 1983 and made her name as a war correspondent covering the Gulf War and the Bosnian war. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Yonhap and Maeil Business say she will host her programme 'Amanpour' until May next year; Kyunghyang Shinmun says CNN stated her activity at CNN ends at the end of June next year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Amanpour did not give a reason; AP said the timing coincides with Skydance's acquisition of CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- In September 2022 an interview with then Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi fell through after Amanpour refused an Iranian request to wear a hijab. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Amanpour announced she is leaving CNN after 43 years, in a statement on 19 October (local time). [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Amanpour did not state a reason for leaving, and AP linked the timing to Skydance's takeover of CNN's parent company. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Her 2022 interview with Iranian President Raisi was cancelled after she refused a request to wear a hijab. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The date Amanpour's work at CNN ends. Yonhap and Maeil Business say she hosts her programme until next May; Kyunghyang Shinmun says CNN stated she will finish at the end of next June.
- Why Amanpour is leaving. She did not give a reason. The link to Skydance's takeover comes from AP's description of the timing, and the outlets report speculation by some observers, not a stated cause.
- Whether CNN's coverage will change under Skydance. Some observers expect changes because Skydance chief executive David Ellison is close to President Trump, while Kyunghyang Shinmun says Ellison promised CNN's editorial independence.