CBS’ ‘Late Show’ Has No Immediate Succession Plans for Chris Licht

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorChris Cuomo wants CNN parent WarnerMedia to keep paying him even though he no longer works there.The former CNN primetime anchor alleged in an arbitration filing Wednesday that his career has suffered damages in excess of $125 million, and suggested CNN had allowed several of his one-time colleagues to violate standards and practices in a bid to keep viewership. The anchor also said his firing by CNN late last year cost him nearly $15 million in salary that he would have earned if he had served out his last contract.In the filing, Cuomo’s attorneys argued that CNN favorites like Don Lemon and Jake Tapper, as well as analyst Jeffrey Toobin, had potentially violated the news outlet’s practices, but were not punished for doing so.  “As long as CNN’s ratings would not be hurt, [former CNN Worldwide President Jeff] Zucker and [former CNN Chief Marketing Officer Allison] Gollust were more than willing to overlook major transgressions by CNN personalities,” Cuomo’s filing alleges, “or even engage in blatant misconduct themselves.” CNN declined to comment.Cuomo and CNN parted ways last year after the anchor was caught up in the sexual-harassment scandal that engulfed his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTanqueray wants to raise a glass to the second season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” — and generate some publicity for itself while doing so.The Diageo gin brand is teaming up with the streaming-video giant in a promotion that aims to create a new social occasion that’s tied to the themes of the drama series, which is set in London during Britain’s Regency era. The two companies are set to release a video for followers of their social accounts that will show Joe Jonas, comedian Phoebe Robinson and “Bridgerton” actor Jonathan Bailey turning “tea time” into “T-time” while exploring many themes of the series.When it comes to working with Netflix, traditional commercials just won’t do.

Succession star Brian Cox has admitted he regrets calling Johnny Depp an ‘overrated actor’ in his memoir, describing it as an ‘easy joke. ’When his book was released in October, Brian seemed to go all Logan Roy on us, branding Johnny ‘so overblown, so overrated. ’However, he’s done a 180, describing his own words as ‘a bit harsh.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery investors voted in approval of the company’s $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T to create Warner Bros. Discovery during a special meeting of stockholders Friday, marking one of the final formal steps before the transaction can close.The deal, a spinoff of WarnerMedia from AT&T, is expected to be completed early in Q2, with insiders telling Variety the estimated date is between April 11-28. The merger has already received approval from the U.S.

Chris Evans rarely posts pictures of himself on social media, so it's natural that when he does, it causes quite a stir among his fans, as it did with his latest Instagram post.MORE: Chris Evans shares trailer for upcoming Buzz Lightyear movie - and fans all have the same thoughtThe actor took to his social feed to share a rare selfie of himself simply on his couch sporting some facial hair and a tousled yet fluffy hair do.WATCH: Chris Evans stars as Buzz Lightyear in new trailerHe commented on the state of his hair while saying: "Fluffy hair [check] #ghosted," a reference to the project he is currently working on titled Ghosted, and fans very quickly took to the comments section to react.The snap racked up over a million likes within the first two hours of posting and many immediately began raving over the star's appearance.RELATED: Jonathan Van Ness reveals why you really shouldn't sleep with your hair downOne wrote: "#fluffyhairdontcare," while another added: "The new hairstyle fits you perfectly Mr Evans," with a third also saying: "I MEANNNN."Many were simply thrilled to see that he had posted a picture of himself after quite a while, as one fan put it: "STOP HE POSTED HIMSELF," and another quipped: "Chris I need 3-5 business days to recover from this selfie." Chris had fans abuzz with his latest fluffy-haired selfieThe Marvel star prefers to keep his own appearance off social media after only joining Instagram in 2020 because, as he put to Jimmy Kimmel: "I guess I caved.""I feel like such an old man; I feel so late to the party. You know what it is? I had too many good pictures of my dog.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAndrew Ross Sorkin, the New York Times journalist and CNBC morning host, will take on a new assignment for NBC News: gaining an edge in the TV-news industry’s expanding streaming wars.Sorkin will host and produce a limited-run original series for NBC News Now, the NBC News streaming service that its parent has promoted aggressively in recent weeks as rival CNN prepares to launch a new streaming venture called CNN Plus. Sorkin’s streaming debut is expected to examine “the people, trends, institutions and forces shaping our world,” according to an NBC News statement.

was snubbed by the awards show this year for her starring role in “House of Gucci.” Two-time Oscar-winner Costner (“Dances With Wolves”), 67, recently announced his new gig hosting and narrating a four-part series to ring in the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park. “Yellowstone: One-Fifty” is scheduled to be released later this year.

CNN’s new subscription streaming service will be priced at $5.99 per month, with a special offer for early subscribers to get 50% off, according to the network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA+E Networks has long been in the business of selling advertising time for its linear cable networks. But as it moves into a new era of haggling over audiences who watch TV in decidedly non-traditional fashion, it has started to push advertisers to find new ways to spend their money.“As our industry continues to evolve, we remain focused on premium, popular and relevant stories and storytellers and are expanding the ways our viewers can find our content,’ says Paul Buccieri,” president and chairman of A+E Networks Group, in a prepared statement, adding: “In an ever-changing landscape, we are providing our advertisers more —  more programming featuring the world’s most beloved talent, more best-in-class opportunities to reach their targets, and more custom solutions to exceed their goals and deeply engage their audiences.” A+E Networks is holding a virtual upfront presentation Wednesday for advertisers.

Stephen Colbert has become the voice of reason in all the chaos.

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert was sure that Chris Licht was the right person for the job of showrunner of his CBS late-night show when the pair met over a drink six years ago.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorIf it wasn’t for Chris Licht, you might not see Gayle King on TV every weekday morning.King wasn’t the typical host of a national morning-news show. She had worked for nearly two decades at a Hartford TV station before trying her hand at daytime TV.

NEW YORK -- Chris Licht, most recently Stephen Colbert's top producer at CBS, was appointed Monday as the new head of CNN, where he's expected to take over in May.Licht's expected appointment to replace Jeff Zucker as chief of CNN was widely reported over the weekend. Before moving into late-night TV, Licht was the chief executive behind the “CBS This Morning" news program and “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.The appointment was made by David Zaslav, Discovery CEO, who is expected to take over the merged company when Discovery's acquisition of CNN parent WarnerMedia is approved this spring.Zaslav called Licht a “dynamic and creative producer, an engaging and thoughtful journalist, and a true news person.”He said Licht is “a highly principled individual who is trusted, hard-working and makes every organization stronger, more innovative and more cohesive.”Zucker was forced out earlier this month, after admitting that he had violated corporate rules by not revealing his romantic relationship with a CNN marketing executive, Allison Gollust.

Discovery made the official announcement on Monday that Chris Licht, currently executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, will lead CNN after the completion of the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN will have a new chief for a new chapter.Chris Licht, a veteran producer who has overseen programs like MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CBS’ “CBS This Morning” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” was named chairman and chief executive of CNN Global — a new name for the news operation once its parent, WarnerMedia, is acquired by Discovery. Licht will report directly to David Zaslav, who will be CEO of the combined company.Discovery is expected to take control of WarnerMedia sometime in mid-April, depending on a shareholder vote, among other conditions.The prospect of a new owner and a new top executive has spurred speculation about what new programming and operating direction may be in store for the venerable cable-news outlet, which has been under scrutiny since WarnerMedia ousted former president Jeff Zucker after he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN’s former chief marketing officer.

NEW YORK -- CBS executive Chris Licht, who is currently running Stephen Colbert's late-night show after building two news programs, is expected to become the new president of CNN replacing Jeff Zucker.Licht will be named as soon as next week to the job, according to an executive familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak on personnel. The selection was first reported Saturday by the website Puck.The new chief is executive vice president of special programming at CBS.

Chris Licht, the executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert who also launched Morning Joe on MSNBC, is poised to take over the reins of CNN after the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger closes, a source confirmed.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorChris Licht, the wunderkind producer who launched “Morning Joe,” retooled “CBS This Morning” and helped late night host Stephen Colbert gain traction on CBS, is jumping to CNN to take over the operation once its corporate parent, WarnerMedia, is acquired by Discovery in a much-anticipated merger expected to take place in April, according to a person familiar with the matter.Licht could not be reached for immediate comment and a CNN spokesperson referred an inquiry to Discovery. A Discovery executive declined to comment.

Gregory Peck was angry. As president of the Motion Picture Academy, the star announced he would veto the admission of a new voting member on grounds that he lacked professional qualifications. The Academy was becoming too populist in 1967, he argued. It must retain its elite status.