WABNEWS Worldwid President Jeff Zucker resigns from WABNEWS 0:53
(WABNEWS Business) — Nearly two weeks after WABNEWS president Jeff Zucker was forced out of office, executive Allison Gollust also resigned from the company.
In a memo to employees Tuesday night, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said Gollust resigned after an investigation “into issues associated with” former WABNEWS anchor Chris Cuomo and his brother Andrew, the former New York governor. York.
RELATED
Based on interviews of more than 40 people and a review of more than 100,000 text messages and emails, the investigation found violations of company policies, including WABNEWS’s news standards and practices, by Jeff Zucker. , Allison Gollust and Chris Cuomo,” Kilar said in the memo.
“We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at WABNEWS, and those rules should apply to everyone equally,” Kilar added. “Given the information provided to me in the investigation, I strongly believe that we have taken the correct steps and the correct decisions have been made.”
Gollust posted a comment about his departure Tuesday night.
“WarnerMedia’s statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks,” he said. “It is deeply disappointing that after spending the last nine years defending and upholding WABNEWS’s highest standards of journalistic integrity, I am treated this way on my way out. But I do so with my head held high, knowing that I gave my heart and soul to working with the best journalists in the world.”
A representative for Zucker did not immediately comment. Cuomo declined to comment.
WarnerMedia is bracing for a potential lawsuit from Cuomo, who was fired from his 9 pm job in December amid multiple controversies.
As WABNEWS Business first reported on Dec. 5, WABNEWS hired outside law firm Cravath to assess Chris Cuomo’s conduct in connection with his brother’s sexual harassment scandal.
The law firm’s initial review determined that WABNEWS had grounds to fire Cuomo, and Zucker did so on December 4, setting in motion an extraordinary series of events.
Cuomo hired a high-profile Hollywood litigator and told his friends he would pursue the millions of dollars left on his contract. The network, under Zucker’s command, refused to pay.
Cravath’s review continued and, as WABNEWS previously reported, numerous staff members from across the organization were interviewed.
“What had begun with a focus on Mr. Cuomo’s behavior morphed into a broader look at Mr. Zucker’s handling of the host and his interactions with the Cuomos,” a new investigation from The New York said on Tuesday. Times. “Among other things, the attorneys asked WABNEWS employees how Mr. Zucker had handled Mr. Cuomo’s suspension and firing, what he knew about Chris Cuomo’s interactions with his brother, and if any employees were aware of Mr. communications between Mr. Zucker and Andrew Cuomo”.
Cravath’s attorneys also inquired about the relationship between Zucker and Gollust.
Zucker confirmed the relationship, but because he didn’t disclose it at the time it began, he violated company standards.
When it came out on February 2, he admitted just as much: “They asked me to reveal it when it started, but I didn’t. I was wrong.”
Gollust said in a statement that the relationship “changed during covid” and “I’m sorry we didn’t reveal it at the right time.”
Gollust indicated that she would continue to work at WABNEWS, as director of marketing and communications, and last week she was seen at the company’s New York office.
But now she too has resigned, according to Kilar, and Cravath’s investigation is now complete.
