High profile CNN stars 'in the dark' as network purge ramps up after purchase: report

CNN viewers may see some of the network’s more familiar faces missing from their screens as some stars are being left in the lurch if a new contract will be offered to them.

According media watchdog Status, CNN has already released contributor Kara Swisher from a deal that was supposed to last through December. Her departure follows a public clash with Elon Musk, who later became an investor in CNN’s parent company.

The feud began when Swisher predicted Musk could "face scrutiny" from a Democratic-led Congress, prompting Musk to fire off an ominous warning on X: “Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sounds like Swisher really wants to go to prison.” The next day, reports surfaced that Musk had put about $1 billion into Skydance, according to Semafor.

Swisher, for her part, had been pushing for an early exit since the merger cleared. “I was trying to figure out ways I could work with them in some like licensing way. But then I thought, ‘(Expletive) these guys. I don’t want to work for them. I just don’t.’"

Others are still waiting for answers as the network offers buyouts.

Afternoon host Brianna Keilar, who has been with CNN for roughly 20 years, "faces a contract deadline in early 2027." according to the report.

"In fact, she [Keilar] remains largely in the dark about her future, with CNN offering little clarity about whether it intends to keep her. The uncertainty is particularly notable given that The Guardian reported last year that Larry Ellison participated in a call with the White House during which the possibility of axing Keilar was discussed, raising questions about her future even then," Oliver Darcy of Status reported.

Clarissa Ward, the network’s acclaimed foreign correspondent, settled for a short-term extension this spring after talks over a longer deal stalled. She is now considering leaving CNN altogether, Status reported. Her loss would compound the network’s international shake-up following the exit of Christiane Amanpour, who tore into CNN’s new owner before announcing she would go. Amanpour’s final day is set for next June.

The uncertainty reaches the top, the report notes. CNN chief Mark Thompson agreed to stay on, a decision some saw as a sign that Bari Weiss’ expected CNN takeover was in jeopardy. But he has not signed a new contract, and neither has Executive Editor Virginia Moseley.

The report notes that Skydance's David Ellison has promised to keep CNN editorially independent. His choice to put Weiss in charge of CBS News, where she has made sweeping changes, has left some skeptical.