WarnerMedia CEO, Jason Kilar, announced Gollust's resignation in a memo to staffers Tuesday.
Allison Gollust, CNN's chief marketing officer, has resigned from the network following a WarnerMedia investigation into "issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo."
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced Gollust's resignation in a memo to CNN staffers Tuesday, following the completion of the company's "comprehensive and definitive" investigation, which WarnerMedia says was performed by "a third-party law firm and led by a former federal judge."
"Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN's News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo," Kilar said in the memo.
"We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally," he continued.
Gollust responded to the statement with one of her own, calling WarnerMedia's statement an attempt to retaliate against her following CNN president, Jeff Zucker's resignation just weeks prior.
"WarnerMedia's statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks," Gollust said.
"It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN's highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave," Gollust added. "But I do so with my head held high, knowing that I gave my heart and soul to working with the finest journalists in the world."
Gollust's resignation comes just two weeks after Zucker -- who had been at the helm since 2013 and proved integral in revamping the network's programming -- resigned after the network executive failed to disclose a relationship with a close colleague -- that colleague being Gollust.
The 56-year-old news veteran's announcement earlier this month sent a seismic jolt across the industry, after he revealed in a memo as to what led to his sudden resignation.
"As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo's tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years," said Zucker in a memo reported by the network's chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter. "I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today."
While Zucker did not name the close colleague at the time, ET learned that Zucker and Gollust have been in a relationship for at least two years. In a statement via CNN, Gollust confirmed that her longtime relationship with Zucker had recently evolved, adding she'll remain in her position amid the network brass shakeup.
"Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years," read the statement. "Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn't disclose it at the right time. I'm incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday."
It's unclear if Zucker, who split from his wife, Caryn, in 2018, was asked to resign or if he volunteered to step down. In any event, the news reverberated across the network.
"People are sad; they think it's a blow for the network," a source told ET. "He was a calm and steady voice. He was accessible to talent. People just liked him."
Zucker and Gollust's relationship was no secret. The veteran news anchor Katie Couric alluded to Zucker and Gollust's romance in her recently published tell-all book, Going There. Couric, a longtime co-host on the Today show when Zucker served as its executive producer before they reunited in 2011 on her ABC daytime talk show, recalled in her book how he tried, but ultimately failed, to get Gollust hired on her show, Katie.
"At a certain point, Jeff made a huge push to bring on Allison Gollust. They were joined at the hip. The problem was, we’d already hired a PR person for the show. There really wasn’t a role for Allison," Couric wrote. “I had to wonder why Jeff was angling so hard to bring Allison on board. She and her husband and kids had moved into the apartment right above Jeff and Caryn’s — everyone who heard about their cozy arrangement thought it was super strange. By that point, Caryn had become a close friend and it made me really uncomfortable."
Couric went on to detail that she did not hire Gollust, a former communications director for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo before joining CNN in 2013. The move may have backfired on Couric, as she was later overlooked for a job at CNN, despite supporting Zucker to become the head of the network.
"His first hire? Allison Gollust. Oh, and I never did hear from him about that job," Couric said.
ET has reached out to reps for Zucker and Gollust for comment.
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