‘Bronx bummer’: Ousted CNN boss Chris Licht spotted at Yankees game
Misery loves company.
Ousted CNN CEO Chris Licht was spotted at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night — watching the Bronx Bombers as they battled to end a major losing streak of their own, according to a photo obtained byThe Post.
In the photo, the former boss of the news network — who got bounced in June following a scathing profile in The Atlantic magazine — was caught watching the game a few rows behind home plate, standing in jeans and an untucked, plaid, button-down shirt.
Licht’s appearance at the game — which the Yankees won 9-1 over the Washington Nationals, putting an end to their worst losing streak in 40 years — raised eyebrows as he appeared to be sitting in the luxury box of CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery, according to one source who was in attendance.
“It’s bizarre to sit at a baseball game in the section owned by the same company that ousted you. And on a big news night, it’s incredibly ironic,” a source at the game said, referring to Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate.
It couldn’t be confirmed definitively whether Licht was sitting in the Warner Bros. Discovery box.
Neither Licht nor reps for Warner Bros Discovery commented.
Although the Licht was unceremoniously ousted from the media giant, its CEO David Zaslav is said to be on amicable terms with Licht. Sources pointed to Zaslav’s sendoff in June, when he said he had “great respect for Chris, personally and professionally.”
CNN is on the hunt for a replacement for Licht, and is reportedly mulling former New York Times boss Mark Thompson.
In June, just hours after being canned by CNN, Licht was seen chilling with Nancy Pelosi at Manhattan’s swanky Polo Bar in Midtown.
More recently, he was spotted on a luxury safari in Africa, and prior to that, in July, he was seen at Becco in the Theater District having dinner with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, now a long-shot presidential candidate, according to Confider.
Licht had been brought in by Zaslav to replace ex-CEO Jeff Zucker, who was pushed out last year after it was learned that he had been carrying on a years-long relationship with his top marketing officer, Allison Gollust.
During his 13-month tenure, Licht battled plunging ratings that had been sinking before his arrival.
The Atlantic expose portrayed him as a thin-skinned, insecure leader who lost the confidence of the network’s top stars — many of whom remained loyal to Zucker.
Things only got worse under his purview, with March viewership plummeting 61% in primetime and “CBS This Morning” anchor Don Lemon’s ouster over sexist comments he made about women including presidential hopeful Nikki Haley.
The ratings slide has continued since Licht’s departure under the network’s new interim bosses, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling.
According to Nielsen, in July CNN’s total daily viewers amounted to 470,000 on average. In the advertiser-coveted demographic of viewers between 25 and 54, CNN”s daily viewership cratered to 86,000 –marking its lowest tally in 23 years.
By contrast, Fox News’s total daily viewers averaged 1.2 million and 135,000 in the demo, while at MSNBC, total viewers amounted to 812,000 with demo viewers equaling 84,000.
In primetime, CNN averaged just 534,000 viewers for the month with demo viewers amounting to 104,000, marking CNN’s lowest tally since March 2023.
