CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour announced Monday that she will leave the network next June, more than four decades after she first joined it.
“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” Amanpour, 68, said in a statement.
Amanpour said she is looking forward to new projects down the line and will always be rooting for CNN and its history of independent journalism. “Remember: always be truthful, not neutral,” she said.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson shared the news in a memo to staff: “Christiane has thought carefully about this decision, and she and I have been discussing it for some months. Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally.”
Amanpour hosts an eponymous interview program on CNN International, which she scaled back to a few days a week last year. The show will move to once a week in January before ending in May, and she will keep reporting for CNN through June. Its PBS version, “Amanpour & Company,” will end in December.
Her announcement comes weeks after Paramount completed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6, bringing CNN and CBS under the same corporate umbrella. Paramount CEO David Ellison leads the combined company.