Christiane Amanpour, one of CNN’s most decorated and revered journalists, is leaving the network after 43 years, she announced in a statement Monday.
Amanpour, who began working for the then-fledgling network as an assistant in the international assignments desk in 1983 and is now its lead international anchor, will end her show Amanpour in May and leave the network at the end of June. She also hosts a show for PBS, Amanpour and Company, which will end at the end of this year.
In the statement, Amanpour said she made the decision to “part ways” with the network “after several months of reflection and a few sleepless nights.”
“From my very first major, exciting assignment covering the first Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran and all points in between, it was the teams and the camaraderie that meant so much, as we fought together to pursue the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always broadcast the truth about the world and to the world, without fear or favor,” she wrote.
She ended her statement by encouraging her CNN colleagues: “Remember: always be honest, not neutral. »
Amanpour, 68, has spoken openly about her ongoing treatment for ovarian cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2021.
His decision comes at an important time for the network, which is now part of a larger media conglomerate called Skydance, led by David Ellison, with heavy support from Larry Ellison, his Trump donor father and co-founder of Oracle.
His departure is not believed to be specifically related to the channel’s new ownership, who is viewed with skepticism by some CNN journalists due to his perceived closeness to the Trump administration. But, in his statement, Amanpour appeared to acquiesce to concerns about the channel’s future, saying it would “always support CNN and uphold its history of independent journalism.”
She elaborated on this commitment to independence in a recorded message to viewers of her CNN International show Monday afternoon.
“You know I have always been fiercely independent, and I will continue to be so for you for as long as I am here and beyond,” she said. “This is particularly important today as we face unprecedented pressures from all sides – political, financial, but also from the growing dangers on the ground.”
In his own note, CNN CEO Mark Thompson, who announced earlier this month that he would remain with the combined company, thanked Amanpour “for 43 extraordinary years of remarkable journalism, loyalty and friendship.”
“Christiane has carefully considered this decision, and she and I have discussed it for several months,” Thompson wrote. “Like so many CNN viewers who will hear the news today, I am truly sorry to see her go, but I have come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally.”
Amanpour said she will continue to host her podcast, The Ex Files and that she “(looks) forward to some exciting new projects in the future.”
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