CNN is reported to be laying off “hundreds” of employees in the first few days President Trump’s second administration
Puck reported that CNN CEO Mark Thompson will announce to his staff about the network’s cuts Thursday morning, while CNBC reported that the layoffs “will not affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract.” according to sources.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital previously reported in November that CNN would face major layoffs in March and that their impact on the network would be “very significant.”
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“Overall I’m very saddened and deeply frustrated,” the longtime CNN insider told Fox News Digital. “Pervasive feelings throughout the organization among those who have been here a long time and feel a deep personal connection to having helped build the organization.”
“It’s a time of complete and utter business model overhaul and chaos. Extremely difficult even under the best of circumstances,” CNN staff added.
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Another CNN employee quoted Thompson, who has been on the job for just over a year and has been outspoken about how the company will have to undergo major changes to survive.
“I’m concerned because the industry is obviously in trouble … I’m sure there will be cuts,” the second CNN employee told Fox News Digital.
The employee suspected that “more shows will be streamlined and produced outside of Atlanta” and that the most affected are the “expensive” shows produced in New York City.
CNN’s financial struggles were thrust into the spotlight last week after a jury found the network had slandered a Navy veteran and approved that he could seek punitive damages. The legal battle resulted in a settlement.
Forensic economist Robert W. Johnson, who was hired by the plaintiff’s legal time to evaluate CNN’s finances, stated that CNN was worth $4.4 billion in 2021, but would fall to $2.3 billion in 2023 , according to the tax documents provided by the network.
Johnson’s data also showed CNN’s revenue fell from $2.2 billion in 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2023. CNN’s net income for the same period fell from $0.6 billion in 2021 to $0.4 billion of dollars in 2023.
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Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.