Last week there were hints that Jim Acosta might be losing his show at CNN because of a schedule shakeup. At the time it wasn’t clear what would be happening with Acosta only that his show would be squeezed out of the daytime lineup by the changes. Since then reports have claimed Acosta was offered a show from midnight to 2 am as his only option to remain on the air as an anchor. But he may decide to simply quit.
Acosta, a fixture on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network since 2007, is mulling a proposal from CNN Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Thompson to give up his daytime shift and move to Los Angeles to helm a two-hour nightly newscast that starts at midnight Eastern time…
Acosta has yet to make a decision on accepting the assignment, said the people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to comment publicly. He has been told by CNN that the move to Los Angeles is not a requirement and that the new program could come out of Washington, where he lives with his family…
If CNN goes forward with the move, some will see it as a way of capitulating to President Trump by reducing the profile of a journalist known for his aggressive coverage of Trump’s first administration. If Acosta decides against taking the assignment, he may exit the network, according to people familiar with his thinking.
As of today, the new CNN schedule from 5 am to midnight has been published and Acosta’s show isn’t on it. So it’s midnight or nothing, it would seem.
There have been varying reactions to this move by CNN. One anonymous CNN staffer told Fox News that Acosta was getting “hosed.”
One staffer believes Acosta is “getting hosed” by the network.
“Acosta is a talented broadcaster who could handle any slot on the network,” a CNN staffer told Fox News Digital. “The midnight thing is shocking [but] it is what it is.”
While the chatter has been described as “gossip” in CNN’s hallways, the staffer is “confident” that the prospects of moving Acosta to the midnight timeslot is real and suggested it is Acosta’s only path forward at the network.
But the Daily Mail spoke to some staffers at the network who were less enthusiastic about Acosta, describing him as an egomaniac.
‘Jim is one of the least-liked and most eye-rolled of all the talent at CNN. And this has been a longstanding status,’ said one network insider.
‘He’s insufferable, an egomaniac. If he can make himself part of the story, he will.’
Another added: ‘His jealousy is even visibly thicker than his makeup and hardened hair gel.’…
‘Before Trump came along, Jim was a run-of-the mill on-air talent. But then came his epiphany,’ dished our insider.
‘He realized that if he needled Trump, people would applaud him on Twitter and online. Jim simply could not resist this added limelight.’…
‘He would seethe – positively roil – when male colleagues like Jake Tapper or Jim Sciutto would ‘scoop’ him on anything White House or presidential-related,’ the insider revealed.
All of this sounds like the Acosta we all saw on air for several years, i.e. desperate to make himself the story on a daily basis.
My guess is he’s testing the waters at MSNBC as we speak to see if he has a better offer out there. If not he’ll stick with CNN because a) he’ll still be getting a huge paycheck for the midnight show and b) he can hope the resistance will come back in fashion again and he’ll be moved back into the daytime lineup a year or two from now.
