CNN President Jeff Zucker announced his resignation Feb. 2 after his secret affair with colleague Allison Goldust was exposed. Jeff said he was "wrong" and didn't disclose his relationship with Alison in time.
Jeff Zach.
In a memo written to CNN employees on the 2nd, Jeff, 56, reportedly said he was asked about his relationship with colleague Alison Gorst as part of the company's internal investigation. "I was asked to disclose it, but I didn't. I was wrong. ”
Alison Gorst.
Alison, 49, issued a statement saying she would remain at CNN. "Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years," she said. Recently, our relationship has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. I regret that we didn't disclose it at the right time. ”
Jeff and his ex-wife Karin broke up in 2018 after 21 years of marriage, and the two have three daughters and a son. Alison and her ex-husband, Billy Hurt, president of online marketplace platform Tradeweb, divorced in 2019 and have two daughters. It is reported that both marriages ended because of Jeff and Alison's "budding love affair".
However, according to former colleague Katie Courtic, the two men have been "in cahoots" for more than 20 years.
Jeff graduated from Harvard University in 1986 and began working as a live producer for Today on NBC. In 2000, Jeff was named president of NBC Entertainment. In 2007, Jeff became President and CEO of NBCUniversal.
In 2010, NBC merged with Comcast and Jeff was kicked out of the company.
Alison also graduated from Harvard University and began working for NBC in 1996. A year later, she was named a senior publicist for Today. After that, Alison served as NBC's Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications, overseeing all aspects of the company's global communications efforts.
In 2010, after Jeff left NBC, Alison also left.
Jeff and ex-wife Karin.
On January 1, 2013, Jeff became president of CNN. At the time, Allison had just served as director of communications for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Four months later, Allison left to join CNN and was hired as the company's senior vice president of communications.
Speculation is that Jeff and Alison live in the same apartment building on New York's Upper East Side with their respective families, with Jeff's family on the 3rd floor and Alison's family on the 4th floor. The two also have a house in Hampton, less than 20 minutes apart.
Alison and ex-husband Billy Hurt.
CNN insiders said the two had an "overt secret affair" for many years, which was "the worst kept secret" in the CNN building.
"The joke is that they don't just share a wall. No one believes this has only happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have been in a close relationship for years. ”
Text/Nandu reporter Chen Lin