'The View' co-host says Allison Gollust should leave CNN over Zucker relationship
'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin said Allison Gollust showed poor judgment and should lose her job at CNN over her relationship with former network president Jeff Zucker.
Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC's "The View," called on Allison Gollust to leave CNN Thursday over her relationship with the liberal network's now-former president, Jeff Zucker.
During a segment discussing Zucker and Gollust's consensual relationship, which the two failed to disclose leading to the former's departure from the network on Wednesday, Hostin suggested the latter should quit or be removed because of "the appearance of impropriety."
Sunny Hostin on the set of ABC's "The View." (Screenshot/ABC) (Screenshot/ABC)
"As women, don't we want other women to be held to the same standards that we hold men?" Hostin asked.
When the other panelists expressed agreement, Hostin went on.
"Everyone said, 'Yes, Jeff Zucker has to go. Why does Allison get to keep her job when she also had an incredible indiscretion and an incredible lack of judgment?" she asked.
Others on the show noted that Gollust's status as one of Zucker's top lieutenants and possible career advancement from her relationship with him was problematic.
"She started out as a publicist … Now she's the executive vice-president at CNN," Hostin said. "It could be interpreted that she got those positions, those promotions … because of that relationship. It's the appearance of impropriety."
CNN marketing chief Allison Gollust was thrust into the spotlight on Wednesday after now-former CNN boss Jeff Zucker stepped down after admitting he didn’t disclose a "consensual relationship" with his longtime colleague. (Getty Images / Youtube)
She added that if she were one of Gollust's employees, she would question her judgment.
"I don't think she should stay," Hostin said.
Zucker abruptly resigned from CNN on Wednesday in a memo to staff.
"As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today," the memo read.
Now-former CNN boss Jeff Zucker didn’t leave the network on a high note. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for WarnerMedia) (Getty Images)
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Hostin's comments come amid continued problems for CNN, including dismal ratings and an increasingly partisan turn towards the left. In the month of January, the network saw viewership drop an abysmal 74%.