Behind Chris Licht’s Turbulent Exit From CNN

NYT Passed on UFOs • Clarence Drags His Feet • Same Old Tucker [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Behind Chris Licht’s Turbulent Exit From CNN Good morning from the Hive newsroom! After days of speculation, CNN chief Chris Licht is officially out. Joe Pompeo and Charlotte Klein have [the scoop]( on how it all went down inside the network, which has lately been plagued by lackluster ratings and a disastrous town hall. There are “definite feelings of widespread relief in the building,” as one CNN source says of Licht’s departure. “It just couldn’t last at this point.” Staying on the media beat, Klein also [unpacks]( why The New York Times passed on a whistleblower who’s alleging that the government has partially intact craft of “non-human origin.” Plus, Bess Levin [observes]( Clarence Thomas dragging his feet on financial disclosures amid concerns that he failed to report lavish gifts from a conservative billionaire. Thanks for reading. [Chris Licht’s Chaotic Tenure Atop CNN Is Over]( By [Joe Pompeo and Charlotte Klein]( [The executive’s exit follows a blistering profile of his disastrous year atop the cable news network.]( [Read more button](   [Why The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico Didn’t Publish a Seemingly Bombshell Report About UFOs]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [The reporters behind the eye-popping 2017 UFO Times report had a new chapter to their story. The Gray Lady turned it down, while The Washington Post was working to hammer down the facts. Then the authors took it elsewhere.]( [Read more button](   [Clarence Thomas Asked for an Extension on His Financial Disclosures, Which Probably Means Harlan Crow Bought Him an Island]( By [Bess Levin]( [Or maybe it was the Hope Diamond.]( [Read more button](   [Tucker Carlson Repeats the Same Old Script on Twitter—Only Under Worse Lighting]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [The conservative pundit, who was ousted from his perch at Fox News, easily fell back into his posture of perennial perma-rage. Whether that will translate into long-term viewership on Twitter is an open question.]( [Read more button](   [Reminder: Mike Pence, Now Running for President, Tried His Hardest to Help Trump Overturn the 2020 Election]( By [Bess Levin]( [A long list of reasons you absolutely do not want to be calling the former VP “Mr. President” come January 20, 2025.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2023 Condé Nast