‘I told you so’: Stephen Colbert has weekly reminder for CNN’s Chris Licht
Heather Hamilton
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Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert has repeatedly told CNN CEO Chris Licht that it was a mistake that he took over the network.
Licht left his position as producer of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to become CNN’s new boss after Jeff Zucker resigned in February.
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“Definitely don’t go do that,” Colbert recalled telling Licht ahead of his decision to head to CNN, according to the New York Times. “CNN would be lucky to get you. But you’re my friend, and I’m telling you not to go.”
Licht insisted on going, calling the CNN CEO position “a calling.” Since then, Colbert has spoken with Licht nearly every week and reportedly begins each conversation with the phrase: “I told you so.”
In the 10 months since Licht began his tenure at CNN, he has overseen the axing of the network’s streaming service CNN+ and multiple layoffs amid plummeting revenue and ratings.
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“The uninformed vitriol, especially from the Left, has been stunning,” Licht reflected on his time as CEO. “Which proves my point: So much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths, and desperation.”
Licht has vowed to steer CNN to become a more politically centrist network and not allow the desire for ratings to poison its coverage.