Christiane Amanpour is leaving CNN after 43 years, the network’s longtime chief international anchor announced Monday.
“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!” Amanpour said in a statement provided to TheWrap.
Amanpour, 68, will end her daily CNN and PBS programs at the end of 2026 before shifting to a weekly show on CNN International through May 2027. She will continue working with the network through June, bringing to a close a career that helped establish CNN’s reputation for international reporting.
CNN chairman Mark Thompson confirmed the departure in a memo to staffers Monday, saying he and Amanpour had discussed her decision for several months.
“Like so many CNNers who will hear the news today, I’m very sorry to see her go, but I’ve come to accept that this is the right time for her, both personally and professionally,” Thompson wrote in the memo, obtained by TheWrap.
Thompson called Amanpour “one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere” and said CNN would celebrate her contributions before her departure.
Amanpour’s departure comes less than two weeks after David Ellison’s Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing CNN and CBS News under the same corporate umbrella. Thompson has remained in charge of CNN under the new ownership, which has raised questions about the network’s editorial direction and independence.
Amanpour joined CNN in 1983 as a news desk assistant in Atlanta, three years after the network launched. In his memo, Thompson recalled that one of her early bosses told her she didn’t have what it took to become a foreign correspondent or hold an on-air position.
“Boy, did she prove him wrong!” Thompson wrote.
Amanpour became an international correspondent in 1990, with the Persian Gulf War serving as her first major assignment. She went on to cover conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine, interviewing world leaders and earning numerous journalism honors, including multiple Emmy, Peabody and George Polk awards.
She left CNN in 2010 to anchor ABC News’ Sunday morning political affairs program, “This Week,” before returning to CNN International in 2012 under an arrangement that also allowed her to continue working with ABC News.
Her signature CNN International interview program, “Amanpour,” has featured conversations with presidents, prime ministers and other international newsmakers. She reduced her hosting schedule to several days per week in January 2025.
Amanpour also hosts “The Amanpour Hour” on CNN’s U.S. network. Her PBS program, “Amanpour & Company,” which launched in 2018, will conclude at the end of December.
In her statement, Amanpour thanked the journalists and crews who worked alongside her throughout her career, recalling assignments covering the Gulf War, Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran.
She said she plans to pursue new projects after leaving CNN and will continue her podcast, “The Ex-Files,” produced by Global, with her former husband, Jamie Rubin.
Amanpour also expressed support for CNN and its commitment to independent journalism.
“Remember: always be truthful, not neutral,” she said.
