Warner Bros. Discovery yesterday announced that the embattled Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, has stepped down, effective immediately.

As the company undertakes an active search for a replacement, it has put in place a strong interim leadership team comprising seasoned programming leaders Amy Entelis, EVP of talent and content development, Virginia Moseley, EVP of editorial, and Eric Sherling, EVP of US programming, as well as David Leavy, chief operating officer, on the commercial side, CNN’s parent WBD said in a statement from New York.

“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” David Zaslav, president and CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement, adding, “The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it.

“While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team we have in place and will continue to fight for CNN and its world class journalism.”

Licht assumed his position in May 2022, following a distinguished career in broadcast and network television, most recently as EVP of special programming at CBS and executive producer and showrunner for ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’.

Prior to that, he was vice president of programming for CBS News and executive producer of the network’s morning news program, ‘CBS This Morning’, which he helped launch in 2012. Prior to CBS, Licht was the co-creator and original executive producer of MSNBC’s popular morning news show, ‘Morning Joe’.

CNN Business, quoted Zaslav as saying, “For a number of reasons things didn’t work out and that’s unfortunate. It’s really unfortunate. And ultimately that’s on me. And I take full responsibility for that.”

Zaslav, according to the report yesterday, told CNN employees that the company is “in the process of conducting a wide search,” both internally and externally, for a new network chief. He cautioned that it will “take a while.”

“We have great confidence in this group and will fully support them until a new CEO is named,” Zazlav said in an emailed statement to CNN staff, “We are in good hands, allowing us to take the time we need to run a thoughtful and thorough search for a new leader.”

A Reuters report said the move on Licht comes less than a week after the Atlantic magazine published a critical report about Licht.