Brian Stelter became the latest casualty of a programming reboot at CNN on Thursday when the network confirmed that it was canceling his Sunday show "Reliable Sources" and showing its host the door. The shakeup comes as part of an attempt by network and parent company executives to move CNN away from its laughably biased coverage of the Trump administration from ego-fueled commentators and back toward more news-focused programming.
According to reporting from NPR on the latest shakeup:
CNN chief Chris Licht informed Stelter of the decision yesterday. Licht has been making cuts throughout the network since taking the helm as part of Warner Bros. Discovery's takeover of the old Time Warner company. Stelter, who often touted the show's ratings on Twitter, was among those CNN hosts targeted for frequent criticism from conservatives for his coverage of the media in the Trump years.
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A corporate spokesperson confirmed the show's demise and said the network wished Stelter well in his future endeavors.
The network said in its confirmations that "CNN will end its ‘Reliable Sources’ program on Sunday, August 21st" and "as a result Brian Stelter will leave the company." In addition to Stelter, the staff at "Reliable Sources" was laid off, too.
Stelter told NPR in a statement that "It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential," clearly not willing to give up his self-aggrandizing.
The soon to be former host tweeted the link to NPR's coverage and re-shared a video from March looking back at his first episode of "Reliable Sources" but has only commented that he picked a "bad day" to not have his cell phone charged up:
I picked a bad day to violate the ABC rule — Always Be Charging. I took the kiddos out sightseeing in midtown Manhattan and my phone's at 2% ???????
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 18, 2022
Stelter's demise at CNN was preceded by CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin's announcement last week that he would not be returning to CNN following a vacation amid speculation that he too was told to beat it by CNN executives who are trying to clean house.
Friends, I’ve decided that, after 20 years, I’m leaving @cnn after my vacation. Was great to spend my last day on air with pals Wolf, Anderson and Don. Love all my former colleagues. Watch for my next book, about the Oklahoma City bombing, coming in 2023 from @simonandschuster
— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) August 12, 2022