David Ellison Asks Mark Thompson to Stay On as CNN CEO — Bari Weiss Won’t Be Involved With CNN for Now: Report

Courtesy of CNN

David Ellison has asked CNN CEO Mark Thompson to stay in his role after his acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is finalized, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Bari Weiss will, according to the report, not have a role at CNN at the “close of the deal.”

Ellison, the head of Paramount Skydance, alongside his father, billionaire Larry Ellison, is considered to be a close ally of President Donald Trump, and his potential reshaping of CNN has long been a focus of rampant media speculation. Ellison’s installing of Weiss as the editor in chief of CBS News, after purchasing her Free Press website, sparked controversy in some circles as Weiss was accused of trying to move the legacy media network to the right. Weiss’s time in charge of CBS has seen an overhaul of 60 Minutes, the network’s flagship magazine program and top-rated show.

“Thompson and Ellison have had conversations about the CNN chief staying in recent weeks, some of the people said. Thompson’s current deal extends into early next year, one of the people said. Ellison and Thompson have discussed a new contract for the CEO but haven’t yet reached terms, the people familiar with the talks said,” reported the WSJ’s Joe Flint, adding:

Independence is key for Thompson and he is seeking assurances that he will have wide-ranging autonomy for editorial operations, people close to him said.

Flint added that Ellison has no plans to merge CNN and CBS News under one leader, writing he’s not “expected to name a news chief to oversee both operations when he lays out his organizational structure for the combined company in the coming days.”

Last week, Thompson held an all-hands meeting of CNN staff and tried to assuage concerns about the impending Ellison takeover.  Thompson told employees he’s “fully committed to CNN” and “enthusiastic” about the network, adding, “I want to stay if Paramount finds me useful.”

This is a developing story and has been updated.

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