Commentator Megyn Kelly has claimed CNN boss Chris Licht is failing in his effort to reinvent the network, calling his push a ‘recipe for a disaster.’
Kelly, speaking on her podcast on Tuesday, was reacting to an unflattering recent profile of Licht in that outlined of the network in April 2022.
A former Fox News host who was later fired by NBC, slot kingdomtoto Kelly questioned Licht’s programming moves, including promoting to fill the former primetime spot of , who was fired in April.
She also argued that in his self-avowed push to reinvent CNN as a centrist, fact-focused news organization, Licht was attempting to emulate former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes.
‘It’s clear [Licht] fancies himself a mini-Roger Ailes wannabe.But as I said on Friday, there was only one Roger Ailes, and Chris Licht ain’t it,’ said Kelly.
Commentator Megyn Kelly has claimed CNN boss Chris Licht is failing in his effort to reinvent the network, calling his push a ‘recipe for a disaster’
CNN CEO Chris Licht was eviscerated by his own media reporter Oliver Darcy who questioned his judgement after a ‘blistering’ profile in The Atlantic, revealing that staffers want him gone
‘He’s clearly read about Ailes and his approach to the news and, in trying to satisfy his bosses at [Warner Bros] Discovery, who want CNN to return to its non-partisan roots, is trying to act the part.But you can’t imitate your way to greatness,’ she added.
Ailes resigned in 2016 after facing sexual harassment allegations from a number of women, including Kelly herself, though in her remarks on the new podcast Kelly praised him.
‘This isn’t to excuse the things that ultimately brought Roger [Ailes] down, but I know what a leader looks like.I know somebody who can actually make a decision without consulting some focus group or poll testing or staffers around him,’ she said.
‘The difference between what Chris Licht is trying to do with the CNN staff and what Roger Ailes did at Fox News that made it such a juggernaut is Roger picked the right people,’ she continued.’He hired the right people whose values he understood and whose potential star talent he could judge, and then he let them loose.’
‘What Chris Licht is trying to do is take a bunch of avowed leftists and make them fair, balanced reporters now and try to stop them from being themselves,’ said Kelly.’None of it works. It’s a recipe for disaster and the ratings are showing it.’
Kelly questioned the decision to move Lemon to a morning spot last fall, where he co-anchored alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.
The show was not a success, leading in part to Lemon’s firing.Collins, a rising star at the network, will take over Lemon’s old 9pm spot later this month.
Ailes (left with Melissa Francis) resigned in 2016 after facing harassment allegations from a number of women, including Kelly herself
Kelly questioned the decision to move Lemon to a morning spot last fall, where he co-anchored alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins
Kelly claimed Collins (above) is ‘a fine reporter’ but said she doesn’t have the ‘it factor’
‘[Licht’s] biggest accomplishments so far seem to be casting Don Lemon in that disastrous morning show on CNN which has already imploded and gotten Lemon fired, and elevating Kaitlan Collins as his next big star,’ said Kelly.
‘Collins seems a fine reporter with potential, but she doesn’t have anything close to the ‘it’ factor that has thrust many others into cable news stardom,’ she argued.
Licht replaced a popular leader, Jeff Zucker, with a mandate to win back some of the viewers alienated from CNN by former President Donald Trump’s attacks.
That has caused some internal resentment and, for many CNN employees, Trump’s town hall meeting on the network last month was a misstep.
The internal strife at CNN hit a low following the publication of The Atlantic’s unflattering article on Saturday.
CNN ‘s media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in his Reliable Sources newsletter Monday that his boss had already ‘alienated much of the employee base and squandered the goodwill he had when he took helm of the network.’
On Monday morning, Licht apologized to CNN employees for distracting from their work and promised to ‘fight like hell’ to earn their trust amid criticism of his year at the helm.
Licht said on an editorial conference call that he was sorry that his role in the news cycle overshadowed the work of CNN’s journalists, according to a transcript of the call.He described it as a humbling experience.
Licht said he would work to win their trust, ‘because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news.’
‘CNN is not about me,’ he said.‘I should not be in the news.’