Stories from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, published within minutes of each other on Friday afternoon, offered conflicting accounts of what led to CNN EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust’s resignation from the company last Tuesday.
CNN EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust resigned Tuesday following the conclusion of an investigation concerning ex-anchor Chris Cuomo and his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, according to a memo from Jason Kilar, CEO of CNN parent WarnerMedia.
Jeff Zucker’s abrupt resignation on Wednesday as CNN’s president has put a spotlight on Allison Gollust, his longtime lieutenant and the network’s chief marketing officer. Gollust, who had worked with Zucker for decades and rejoined CNN in 2013 as his “closest colleague,” has been identified as the woman with whom Zucker had a “consensual relationship” that he did not disclose to CNN owner AT&T in apparent violation of company policies.
Allison Gollust, a CNN executive and top lieutenant to Jeff Zucker, has emerged as the leading internal candidate to take over the network if Zucker steps down as president, two people at CNN familiar with the matter say.
