Saturday 13 August 2022 03:13 AM CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin quits - as no-nonsense new boss works to ... trends now
Jeffrey Toobin, 62, on Friday announced he was leaving CNN, where he worked as a legal analyst
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin announced on Friday that he is leaving the network after 20 years, in a surprise tweet declaring he would not be returning after his vacation.
Toobin was famously fired in November 2020 by The New Yorker, after 27 years, when he was caught on camera masturbating during a Zoom conversation with colleagues.
CNN suspended him for eight months before welcoming him back - to the anger of many at the network.
Toobin said that he had decided to leave, but some within the company saw it as part of a wider move by the new boss, Chris Licht, to clean up the network after scandals involving anchor Chris Cuomo and president of the company, Jeff Zucker.
'Chris is really focused on CNN turning a corner. He actually listens to what people want and isn't driven by ego,' a source told DailyMail.com.
'He's moving CNN back to the center, he abolished the ridiculous breaking news cut ins and graphics that drove everyone crazy and he knows that no one will shed a tear re Toobin's departure, especially the women of CNN.
'He just needs to fix 9pm. We're all rooting for the talented and undervalued Dana Bash to be given that slot.
'You want a neutral journalist to appeal to both sides, he's got to put Dana in.'
The 9pm slot was previously held by Chris Cuomo, who saw his show Cuomo Prime Time cancelled in late November after the anchor was suspended and then fired for helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, while he was accused of sexual harassment.
Since November, CNN has been trialling several potential replacements for the 9pm show - among them Jim Acosta, Laura Coates, Michael Smerconish and Sarah Sidner.
Toobin appeared on shows across the network, and on Friday he said he would miss his CNN colleagues.
CNN's new boss Chris Licht is currently working to revive the scandal-hit network
CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin returned to the air in June 2021 after an eight-month suspension
'Friends, I've decided that, after 20 years, I'm leaving @CNN after my vacation,' he tweeted.
'Was great to spend my last day on air with pals Wolf, Anderson and Don. Love all my former colleagues.
'Watch for my next book, about the Oklahoma City bombing, coming in 2023 from @simonandschuster'.
Toobin's
