For the second time in a dozen years, Jeff Zucker lit a once-booming media empire on fire only to abandon it for others to repair. But now we know that just as he did at NBC, the since-disgraced CNN boss has again taken Allison Gollust with him.
The only difference this time is that the two alleged lovers unwittingly waged war against Chris Cuomo, becoming the collateral damage of the fired anchor who refused to go down without a fight. This time, workplace indiscretions proved not just mutually assured destruction for the lovers and the prime-time laughing stock but potentially for CNN as a whole.
Despite Zucker’s assertion that he and Gollust only began their affair amid the pandemic, multiple reports date the relationship back decades, when the two 20-somethings began their careers at NBC, climbing the ranks in tandem. Zucker’s open secret of a side piece may have briefly ventured to the aid of Andrew Cuomo, but as Katie Couric teased in her memoir late last year, it was only a matter of time before Zucker maneuvered his way into CNN, making Gollust his first hire.
The response from CNN’s on-air stars to Zucker’s departure has ranged from somewhat cringeworthy to genuinely concerning. Alisyn Camerota reportedly called it a “shockwave to all of our mental health” and “the death penalty,” while Brian Stelter and Don Lemon have appeared on the verge of tears performing monologues dedicated to their fallen hero.
If Zucker and Gollust ran cover for them as they did for Chris Cuomo, is it any wonder why they live in fear too?
According to a blockbuster New York Times report, Zucker specifically poached Chris Cuomo to host his early morning creation, New Day, and then promoted him to prime time despite ethical lapses both on and off the air. During the start of the pandemic, Zucker (in)famously allowed Chris Cuomo to interview his brother, reportedly aiming to position the New York governor as a foil to then-President Donald Trump.
Here’s where the story gets somewhat complicated, at least if we take everyone’s claims at face value: CNN claimed that they fired Chris Cuomo for violating his journalistic integrity (and the company’s supposed standards) by aiding his brother’s attempts to smear and silence the latter’s sexual harassment victims. CNN then claimed that they fired Zucker for failing to disclose his totally consensual relationship with Gollust, a revelation unearthed during the Cuomo investigation. Now, another one bites the dust, Gollust, in this case for…
Well, CNN won’t say, and it’s exactly what they won’t say that reveals the likely truth — that Chris Cuomo was ready to burn the building down on his way out simply because Zucker was too stupid and too reckless not to give him the goods to do so. Thanks to their close personal ties to Zucker and Gollust, the Cuomos got away with murder (in the case of Andrew Cuomo and some 15,000 seniors sent to their deaths in nursing homes, somewhat literally) because they knew where the bodies were buried.
Mutually assured destruction is a fine enough insurance plan while 24 hours of Trump keeps the ratings afloat, but all it takes is one domino to drop — here, it was Andrew Cuomo’s inability to stop grabbing the help and killing grandma — and basic game theory has everyone out for themselves.
Maybe that’s a way to run a mafia — but not a media organization, at least not one with any self-respect.
