Paula Reid to exit CNN ahead of Paramount takeover

CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, is leaving the network ahead of Paramount Skydance’s pending takeover of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and is expected to land at rival outlet MS NOW, according to multiple media reports.

Ms. Reid declined a renewal deal offered by network executives and told management last week that she intends to exit when her contract expires this summer, media newsletter Status reported, citing candid conversations she had with CNN executives about the network’s future under incoming owner David Ellison. 

Two people familiar with the matter told Variety that Ms. Reid had the option to renew her contract but chose to leave, citing uncertainty about continuing at CNN as it braces for new corporate ownership. 

Ms. Reid is expected to join MS NOW, according to a Variety exclusive corroborated by other outlets, though it was not immediately clear what role she might fill there. An MS NOW spokesperson would not comment directly on the move. “As a general matter of practice, we don’t comment on personnel matters,” the spokesperson said in a statement carried by NewscastStudio. “As everyone in Washington knows, Paula Reid is an exceptional reporter, and any news organization would be fortunate to showcase her journalism.”

According to Status and other outlets, Ms. Reid would become the first major on-air CNN personality to depart since Paramount’s roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery was announced — a deal that has unsettled many at the network. The Justice Department has approved the merger, though it still faces potential hurdles, including scrutiny from British regulators and a possible legal challenge from state attorneys general.

Staffers at CNN have been watching the turmoil at sister network CBS News, which Mr. Ellison placed under the direction of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss following his earlier takeover of Paramount. Ms. Weiss’ tenure has coincided with ratings declines at “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings” and the exit of several prominent figures, including “60 Minutes” correspondent Anderson Cooper, who left the program amid what the Daily Beast described as frustration with Ms. Weiss’ management.

Mr. Ellison has been floated as a likely candidate to eventually oversee CNN in addition to CBS News, a prospect that has drawn wariness from CNN staffers, according to Variety. CNN chief executive Mark Thompson has reportedly told Paramount executives that he does not intend to share oversight of the network with another executive.

CNN technology contributor Kara Swisher has said publicly that she would leave the network if Mr. Thompson is displaced from his role, according to the Daily Beast.

Ms. Reid, 43, joined CNN in 2021 as senior legal affairs correspondent and was promoted to chief legal affairs correspondent in 2023. She has covered Supreme Court proceedings, federal and state investigations into current and former officials — including President Trump and former President Biden — and was part of a CNN team that broke the news that Mr. Trump had been recorded discussing a classified document he retained after leaving office following his first term.

Before joining CNN, Ms. Reid spent nearly a decade at CBS News, where she rose to White House correspondent in 2019 after covering the Justice Department and federal law enforcement. She led the network’s coverage of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.