CNN legend Christiane Amanpour, the channel’s leading international anchor, said Monday she will leave CNN next June.
“After many months of reflection and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to part ways with CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” Amanpour said in a statement.
Amanpour, 68, said she “looks forward to exciting new projects in the future, and will always support CNN and uphold its history of independent journalism. Remember: Always be honest, not neutral.”
Amanpour, known worldwide for her heroism as a foreign correspondent, has hosted a self-titled nightly interview show on CNN International since 2009.
In January 2025, she reduced her activities to a few days a week. In January 2027, she will move the program to once a week, until it ends in May. She will continue reporting and traveling the world for CNN through June.
CNN President Mark Thompson shared Amanpour’s decision in a memo to colleagues Monday morning.
“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.”
Thompson described her as “one of the world’s most trusted and beloved journalists” and said the network would take time to celebrate her “before she leaves next year.”
“In the meantime, on behalf of the entire CNN leadership team, I want to thank Christiane for 43 extraordinary years of remarkable journalism, loyalty and friendship,” he wrote.
In her statement, Amanpour said she wanted to thank “all the incredibly talented people I have worked with throughout this incredible journey. Especially my beloved show crews and grounds crews.”
“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,” she said, “as we fought together to pursue the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always deliver the truth to the world and to the world, without fear or favor.”
The PBS iteration of Amanpour, “Amanpour & Company,” will end in December.
In her statement, Amanpour said she would continue her podcast, “The Ex Files,” with ex-husband Jamie Rubin, produced by Global.
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