Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor, announced Monday, October 19, 2026, that she is leaving the network after 43 years. She will end her CNN International show in May 2027 and depart in June 2027. Her PBS program, Amanpour & Company, concludes in December 2026.
She started in 1983 as an assistant on CNN’s international assignment desk in Atlanta. Now 68, she announced the exit in a statement saying she reached the decision after many months of thought and a few sleepless nights
.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson told staff in a memo that he and Amanpour had been discussing the move for some months. He wrote that he had come to accept this was the right time for her, both personally and professionally.
From CNN Chief Mark Thompson: Christine Amanpour stepping downDear all, I’m writing today with news about a CNN icon – and our dear friend and colleague – Christiane Amanpour. After more than 43 years at CNN, Christiane has decided that the time is right to begin a new…
Her Exit Unfolds Over Eight Months
The exit is gradual.
- December 2026: Amanpour & Company ends on PBS.
- January 2027: Amanpour moves to a weekly schedule on CNN International.
- May 2027: the CNN International show concludes.
- June 2027: she leaves CNN.
She plans to keep her podcast, The Ex Files, which she makes with her ex-husband Jamie Rubin and Global, and said she is looking toward new projects. She did not say what they are.
To say this marks the end of an era doesn’t even cut it.@amanpour has been synonymous with CNN & with top-tier international reporting for decades. I grew up admiring her, pinched myself every time I got to share a screen with her & have been grateful on so many occasions for…
An Atlanta Assistant Becomes Chief International Anchor
In his memo, Thompson noted that one of her early bosses told her she lacked what it took to be a foreign correspondent or hold any on-air role, according to The Daily Beast. She went on to cover the Gulf War, Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran, all of which she named in her farewell. She left CNN in 2010 to anchor ABC’s This Week and returned to CNN International in 2012.
Thompson called her one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere
and said CNN would celebrate her before she goes.
"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, it’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much, as we together battled to seek the facts, the…
Another report says she became an international correspondent in 1990 and built a reputation for reporting from conflict zones and interviewing political and military leaders. Her Bosnia coverage became closely associated with her approach, which stressed challenging official accounts and documenting the experiences of civilians.
During that war she also interviewed Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, who was later convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Her interview subjects included Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after the September 11 attacks, as well as Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, French President Emmanuel Macron, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and John Kerry. In February 2011, while at ABC News, she interviewed Gaddafi and his sons amid the uprising against his government. In January 1998 she interviewed then-Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
In her statement she thanked all the amazingly talented people I’ve worked with throughout this incredible journey
, singling out her show teams and field crews. She said the teams and camaraderie counted most as they sought the facts, the evidence and the humanity so CNN could broadcast the truth without fear nor favor
.
Christiane @Amanpour said she “looks 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.” https://t.co/6PCyCQU3sk
Skydance Takeover Looms Over the Announcement
Newsweek reported that Skydance completed its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, putting CNN and CBS News under one owner. The Guardian reported her exit is not thought to be specifically tied to the new ownership. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that her reasons are not clear.
The New York Post relayed media sources pointing to philosophical differences with Skydance CEO David Ellison, others citing cost-cutting, and others citing her health. She said in May she was concerned about what had happened at CBS News under Ellison. In January 2025, she scaled back after revealing her ovarian cancer had returned a third time; she was first diagnosed in May 2021.
Christiane Amanpour’s note announcing her coming departure from CNN contains her trademark admonition to journalists: Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.https://t.co/3ngOVjjADf
Her own statement avoids the subject. It closes with a line she has used before: Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.
In a taped message to CNN International viewers, she said she would stay fiercely independent
for as long as she is there and beyond
, citing pressures from all sides.
Thompson is staying in place as leader of the network, and Ellison has promised editorial independence. Amanpour has been outspoken about coverage of Donald Trump. In 2023 she publicly criticized the network’s town hall with Trump, then campaigning to return to the White House, and said she shared her views with then-CEO Chris Licht.
The Desk noted hers is the first planned resignation of a CNN reporter since Skydance took ownership. Whether others follow is not yet known, and Amanpour has not said what she will do next.
Chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour announces that she will leave CNN next June after a 43-year career at the network https://t.co/zGdsEYX0Oh pic.twitter.com/0EjAi8O3mn