CNN taps high-dollar DJ Tiësto for private shindig despite laying off hundreds

CNN has vowed to slash costs as the cable network struggles to attract ratings — but it was sending a different message at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, sources told On The Money. 

Dutch DJ Tiësto, who consistently ranks in the top 5 highest-paid EDM performers in the world, appeared for around 15 to 20 minutes at CNN’s post-dinner brunch last Sunday.

The “BOOM” musician’s cameo shocked employees as an obscene display of opulence at a time when many journalists are worried about their jobs. Last year, CNN revealed plans to lay off more than 400 people.

CNN boss Chris Licht told The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Cartwright that Tiësto “did the set in exchange for a free seat at CNN’s WHCD table.” 

But while Tiësto made a brief cameo to get his picture taken on the step and repeat, he didn’t actually attend the dinner, sources confirmed. His wife Annika Backes did attend. 

That only stoked speculation that the DJ received compensation. Neither CNN nor a publicist for Tiësto would deny he was paid for the event. 

A spokesperson for Tiësto said, “He was invited by CNN to attend, and was happy to hop on for a quick performance at the brunch. He, unfortunately, wasn’t able to attend dinner because it started at the same time as his festival performance.”

“Tiësto and his wife were our guests. He proposed a performance as a kind gesture because he is a friend of CNN,” a spokesperson for CNN said.

Tiësto typically charges anywhere from $200,000 to north of $500,000 for a set, a source close to the DJ told On The Money. “He doesn’t do anything for free,” the source added.

Employees who attended added that hosting a performer of Tiësto’s caliber was wasted on a brunch that attracted just a few hundred guests to the Line Hotel, sources told On The Money. 

“For a company that prides itself on creating content that reaches the right demo, it’s ironic they brought in a trendy DJ to entertain a bunch of septuagenarians,” one industry insider said. “Underscores a bigger problem that they don’t know their demo.”

Music insiders were likewise shocked to see Tiësto get behind a DJ booth branded “CNN” – these sources add that for a company to have that kind of brand adjacency to a top DJ costs more money than it would if Tiësto played at an event with less fanfare.

Guests included CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Jim Sciutto, Poppy Harlow, and Phil Mattingly as well as WHCD comedian Roy Wood Jr., Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova. 

CNN, which laid off hundreds of employees, has been trying to scrimp and save in recent months. The company also decreased the number of employees allowed to travel to the WHCD on the company’s dime this year in order to keep costs down, On The Money learned. Staffers who typically make an appearance at the event were told the company wouldn’t cover the cost of travel this year.

Licht has emphasized the importance of cutting back and told employees last year, “It will be a difficult time for everyone.”