Staff Reports
Jim Acosta, the CNN reporter renowned for turning every White House press briefing into a circus, has finally decided it’s time to exit stage left after nearly two decades of dramatic performance. This is undoubtedly a development that has some wondering if President Donald Trump, the man who helped Acosta achieve his notorious fame, has had the last laugh in this long-standing rivalry.
In a rather theatrical announcement typically befitting Acosta’s style, he revealed his departure from CNN. Much like an overzealous actor, he took to his platform with a declaration of careful consideration, opting instead to leave the network rather than basking in a shiny new timeslot offered to him. While one would assume his time covering Trump was the pinnacle of his career, Acosta instead pointed to a different high point: a photo of himself covering Barack Obama’s historic, yet utterly staged trip to Cuba. One can only wonder if he wishes he could go back to those glory days, where presidential photo ops eclipsed actual news coverage.
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Jim Acosta is out at CNN after 18 years. His biggest contribution to society was getting spanked by DJT on live TV:— harparr #IFBAP (@harparr1) January 28, 2025
Acosta didn’t miss a beat in thanking CNN, while also stressing his commitment to holding power accountable, a niche that perhaps slipped away from him during his reign of presidential character assessment. While claiming that his mission in life aligns with the very essence of journalism, it may be fitting to point out that his brand of ‘journalism’ often resembled more of an over-caffeinated debate club than objective reporting.
The news of his departure does not come as a shock given that his relationship with CNN seemed to sour faster than milk left out in the sun. His recent removal from the morning show, where he somehow managed to pull in more viewers than some of CNN’s prime time line-up, was perhaps an indication that even the network found his shtick a little too much to handle. Instead of a throne in the prime morning hour, CNN opted to offer Acosta the midnight shift — a slot that shares the same level of excitement as watching paint dry.
As if the situation couldn’t get any more ironic, Acosta was pitched the glamorous idea of anchoring his new late-night show as “prime time” for the West Coast. Now, one must wonder how CNN thought sleeping audiences, not quite ready for the day’s news, would envigorate the network’s ratings. But alas, this was the new era of CNN, where the less desirable options abound, and the truth is often stranger than fiction. Perhaps Acosta would do well in his next endeavor—his on-screen antics can now be perfectly suited for a less primetime or even a purely fictional setting.
