Following CNN head Jeff Zucker’s surprise resignation on Wednesday, many are questioning the exact timeline and nature of his relationship with Allison Gollust. That includes “The View” host Sunny Hostin, who is also questioning why Gollust still has a job at the network.
Gollust was identified as the woman with whom Zucker had a “consensual relationship” that he did not disclose to CNN owner AT&T in apparent violation of company policies, which he cited as the reason for his resignation. But as the news broke, it was confirmed that Gollust herself would be staying on with the network. Discussing the situation on “The View,” Hostin noted that she doesn’t agree with that move.
“As women, don’t we want other women to be held to the same standards that we hold men?” Hostin argued. “Everyone said ‘Yes, Jeff Zucker has to go!’ Why does Allison get to keep her job, when she also had an incredible indiscretion, and an incredible lack of judgement?”
Hostin pointed out that there are certainly a lot of questions surrounding the timeline of Zucker and Gollust’s relationship, which the pair claims “changed during COVID.” Many media insiders have questioned whether the romance really only began in the last two years, or while both Zucker and Gollust were married to other people.
On Thursday, Katie Couric weighed in on the situation, with a statement that also called attention to the timeline of things.
“I worked with Jeff Zucker for many years at NBC and later on my talk show. He was a talented and energetic producer. His resignation took me by surprise,” Couric wrote in her newsletter. “I’ve also known Allison Gollust since my days at the ‘Today’ show. I’ve wondered about the nature of their relationship, but I do know, as I wrote in my memoir ‘Going There’, that it made me uncomfortable. It seems their colleagues and the media at large turned a blind eye to inappropriate behavior.”
Hostin cited Couric’s statement, plus tabloid reports, and argued that the obscurity of the timeline calls into question the validity of Gollust’s career promotions.
“It’s inappropriate at best,” the host said.