Jim Acosta, a veteran journalist, quit CNN, telling viewers he won’t accept a new position anchoring a two-hour live newscast commencing at midnight.
Acosta has been with the network since 2007.
He had his last morning show on Tuesday, January 28, during which he discussed his career as an anchor.
“I’m grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I’ve spent here doing the news. People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House, covering Donald Trump,” Acosta said.
“Actually, no, that moment came here when I covered President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners as the son of a Cuban refugee. I took home this lesson — it is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” the news anchor added.
As the show came to an end, he shared one final message to his viewers and fans, urging them not to succumb to lies and fears.
“Don’t give into lies, don’t give into fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope.” he said. “Even if you have to get out your phone, record that message: I will not give in to the lies, I will not give in to the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you too.”
His decision to departure from the show came as a shock to many, including his fellow colleagues.
Speaking to Fox News, a CNN employee said, “I think we’re just taken aback about how fast it was. It happened in a flash.” Another person dubbed his sendoff message “classy.”
Ana Navarro, a CNN commentator, thanked Acosta for his integrity.
I will not give in to the lies.
I will not give in to the fear.
I will not normalize insanity.
I will not ignore cruelty.Thank you for your integrity, @Acosta. I have loved being your @cnn colleague and friend. Good luck with your next chapter. pic.twitter.com/a3ofl1U31S
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) January 28, 2025
“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the First Amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” a CNN spokesperson said about his exit. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”
Before he decided to leave the network, CNN announced they would be replacing Acosta’s 10am program with The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown.
CNN offered Jim Acosta a midnight time slot, previously used for reruns of CNN’s primetime programming for West Coast audiences.
President Donald Trump, who Acosta was a huge critic of, took to Truth Social to express his satisfaction over the news anchor’s decision to step down, calling him “one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history,” and “a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up.”
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