Christiane Amanpour leaving CNN after 43 years will not happen overnight
A multi-stage broadcast wind-down keeps the chief international anchor on field assignments while wrapping up her signature shows.
Longtime international anchor Christiane Amanpour announced on Monday, October 19, that she will step down and depart CNN in June 2027 after 43 years with the network. The decision was shared with network staff in an internal memo from CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson and confirmed in an official statement from Amanpour reported by The Independent.
“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 her statement. She thanked “all the amazingly talented people I’ve worked with throughout this incredible journey. Especially my beloved show teams and field crews.”
A phased transition off the daily schedule
Rather than an immediate departure, Amanpour will wind down her presence on air over a multi-month transition period. According to details shared by Thompson and reported by Newsweek, her daily broadcast schedule will wrap up at the end of 2026. Starting in January 2027, her CNN International program will shift to a weekly broadcast before concluding in May 2027. She will continue to travel on assignment and report from the field through June 2027.
Her public television program, “Amanpour & Company,” which launched on PBS in 2018, will conclude its run in December 2026. The move follows an earlier step back in January 2025, when Amanpour reduced her daily hosting schedule at the network to several days per week.
Network tributes and a four-decade legacy
Thompson paid tribute to the British-Iranian journalist in his memo to network employees, describing her as “one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere.”
“Christiane has thought carefully about this decision, and she and I have been discussing it for some 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, thanking her on behalf of the network leadership team for her loyalty, journalism, and friendship.
Amanpour first joined CNN in 1983 as an entry-level assistant on the international assignment desk in Atlanta. She rose through the ranks to become chief international correspondent and chief international anchor, building a global profile through her battlefield reporting during the Gulf War and the Bosnian War. She briefly left CNN in 2010 to anchor ABC’s political affairs program “This Week” before returning to the cable news channel in 2012 under a special arrangement.
What lies ahead
In her statement, Amanpour noted that she “looks forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism. Remember: always be truthful, not neutral.”
Beyond her television broadcasts, Amanpour will continue hosting the independently distributed podcast “Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex-Files” alongside her former husband James Rubin, which is not produced by CNN. While external commentary from outlets including The Hollywood Reporter discussed the exit against the backdrop of Skydance and Paramount completing their takeover of CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery earlier in October 2026, neither Amanpour nor Thompson referenced corporate changes in their announcements.
CNN has not yet announced who will take over Amanpour’s timeslot or how the international network plans to restructure its global interview lineup after her daily and weekly shows conclude in 2027.
