Jim Acosta Announces Sudden Exit from CNN with Cryptic Final Message: ‘Don’t Give In to the Lies’

Jim Acosta, a longtime CNN anchor who announced his departure on Jan. 28, 2025. Photo:

Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Jim Acosta has signed off on CNN for the final time.

The 53-year-old news anchor shared during his morning broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 28, that he would not be returning to the CNN desk after 18 years with the network.

“You may have seen some reports about me and the show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and [after] weighing alternative time slots CNN offered me, I’ve decided to move on,” Acosta said on the broadcast.

Sources told The New York Times that his exit from CNN happened as a result of a clash between Acosta and network heads over a decision to move his show to a midnight time slot, which would have lowered his opportunity for viewership. The network planned to move CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown into Acosta’s slot.

According to the outlet, Acosta was opposed to the idea of the move, and wondered whether the network’s reorganization of its lineup was part of a move to sideline journalists that had been critical of President Donald Trump in the past. 

CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta before a White House press briefing on Oct. 3, 2018. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

During his sign-off, Acosta said that he “always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account,” which is something he has “always tried to do” at CNN and plans to continue “doing in the future.”

He spoke about the highlight of his CNN career, which came in 2016, when he had the chance to question Cuban President Raúl Castro about the nation’s political prisoners.

“As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson: It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” he said.

Acosta then thanked viewers before concluding his farewell, saying, “Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and hope.”

The reporter did not say what his next career move would be, but teased on air that he would “have more to say” about his plans in the “upcoming days.”

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In regards to Acosta’s exit, a CNN spokesperson told PEOPLE that the network was grateful for his “dedication and commitment” he put into the work at the news station. 

“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” the spokesperson said. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”

Acosta was known for his tough questions in the White House briefing room during Trump’s first presidency, and he was banned from the White House in 2018 following a heated exchange with Trump. He sued the government, prompting a federal judge to rule that his White House press badge be reinstated.

His departure comes days after CNN announced that it planned to lay off 200 people in order to shift its focus to digital operations, according to The Associated Press. The network planned on developing a streaming service for viewers and planned for anchors including Blitzer to take on new roles.

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