Esquire had hired CNN contributor Ryan Lizza to serve as the magazine’s chief political correspondent, editor-in-chief Jay Fielden announced in a Twitter post on Friday.
“At a time when Washington is the main event, @RyanLizza joins @Esquire today as chief political correspondent,” said Fielden. “In the magazine and on http://Esquire.com , Lizza will be a must-read, offering rare insight and intelligence. You can also continue to see him weekly on @CNN.
https://twitter.com/JayFielden/status/1004923337091506181
The move for Lizza is a major career milestone, as the reporter was ousted from his perch at The New Yorker over a sexual misconduct scandal, the details of which have not emerged.
“The New Yorker recently learned that Ryan Lizza engaged in what we believe was improper sexual conduct,” the company said in a statement to TheWrap in December “We have reviewed the matter and, as a result, have severed ties with Lizza. Due to a request for privacy, we are not commenting further.”
Coming during the height of the MeToo movement, Lizza was benched from his other gig as a CNN contributor and lost a teaching position at Georgetown University just hours later.
In less than 4 hours Ryan Lizza no longer does any of these things pic.twitter.com/tPCKkF8l6z
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) December 11, 2017
CNN ultimately allowed him back on air, with a spokesperson telling TheWrap in January that their investigation “found no reason to continue to keep Mr. Lizza off the air.”
The announcement of Lizza’s move to Esquire — first reported by network media guru Brian Stelter in his morning newsletter — made no mention of Lizza’s past scandal. He also seems to be back at Georgetown.
Past scandal notwithstanding, Lizza remains a well-connected D.C. insider.
During his tenure at The New Yorker, Lizza was responsible for some of the magazine’s most celebrated reporting. His coverage of Anthony Scaramucci, in which the fast-talking financier made a number of lewd accusations toward White House colleagues, resulted in Scaramucci’s departure from the job of White House communications director after just 10 days.
Lizza’s article was the third most-read piece published by The New Yorker in 2017.