Jim Acosta, the veteran CNN anchor and former White House correspondent, has departed the network after nearly two decades. Announcing his resignation during his final broadcast, Acosta said he decided to leave rather than accept a shift to a midnight-to-2 am time slot, part of CNN’s recent programming reshuffle.
Hours later, Acosta revealed his next move, launching an independent platform on Substack.
During his last broadcast on CNN, Acosta delivered a pointed message, seemingly aimed at his longtime adversary, Donald Trump. “Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and hope,” he told viewers. Reflecting on his career, Acosta highlighted his coverage of former President Barack Obama’s 2016 visit to Cuba, where he interviewed Raul Castro, as a personal and professional milestone. He called it a lesson in resilience, stating, “It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.”
As per The New York Post, Acosta, who is of Cuban descent, connected his experience to his commitment to holding power to account.
Moving to Substack
Acosta announced his new venture via a video on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after leaving CNN. “I’m going independent, at least for now,” he said in the video, which introduced his new Substack platform, The Jim Acosta Show. He plans to use the platform to discuss politics and current events while fostering thoughtful conversations about pressing issues.
According to The Wrap, Acosta joins a growing list of prominent journalists, such as Taylor Lorenz and Matt Taibbi, who have transitioned to Substack to pursue independent journalism. In his introductory message on the platform, Acosta reiterated his farewell message: “Do not give in to the lies. Do not give in to fear. Hold on to the truth, and hope.”
Donald Trump, a frequent critic of Acosta during his presidency, reacted to the news of his departure with a scathing post on Truth Social, labelling Acosta a “major loser” and celebrating his exit as “good news.”
However, Acosta replied to Trump’s post on social media platform X and wrote, “ Looks like somebody has ADS: Acosta Derangement Syndrome”.
Earlier, CNN offered a gracious statement and praised Acosta for his commitment to journalistic freedoms, stating, “Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority… We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”
