Christiane Amanpour to Leave CNN After 43 Years, Citing New Chapter

Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor and one of the most recognizable faces in global broadcast journalism, announced Monday that she will depart the network next year, ending a 43-year tenure that took her from an entry-level desk assistant to the front lines of the world’s major conflicts.

“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” Amanpour, 68, said in a statement.

“I look forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism. Remember: always be truthful, not neutral”.

Her flagship program on CNN International will be scaled back to a weekly format starting in January 2027 before concluding in May, with Amanpour leaving the network at the end of June.

Her PBS program, “Amanpour & Co.,” will also end at the close of this year, though she will continue hosting her podcast, “The Ex Files,” with her ex-husband Jamie Rubin.

CNN Chairman Mark Thompson, in a memo to staff, said he and Amanpour had been discussing the decision “for some months.”

“Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally,” Thompson wrote.

He praised her as “one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere” and thanked her for “43 extraordinary years of remarkable journalism, loyalty and friendship”.

Amanpour did not explicitly cite a reason for her departure, but the announcement comes weeks after Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company.

In a taped message to viewers, she appeared to allude to the shifting media landscape. “You know that I’ve always been fiercely independent, and I will continue to be that for you for as long as I am here and beyond,” she said. “That’s especially important today as we face unprecedented pressures from all sides—political, financial, and also from the rising dangers in the field”.

Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 as an assistant on the international news desk in Atlanta. She rose to prominence covering the 1991 Gulf War and went on to report from Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iran, among other conflict zones.

Reflecting on her career, she said it was the teams and camaraderie that mattered most.

“From my very first big exciting assignment covering the First Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran and all the points in between,” she said, “it’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much, as we together battled to seek the facts, the evidence and the humanity”.