As CNN's President Jeff Zucker confirms that the former '20/20' co-anchor will host a morning show, ABC News taps David Muir to replace Cuomo.
- Jan 30, 2013
AceShowbiz - Chris Cuomo is officially joining CNN after leaving ABC News. Jeff Zucker, President of CNN Worldwide, announced it on Tuesday, January 29, his seventh day on the top position at the cable news channel.
"Chris is an accomplished anchor who is already an established name in morning television, as well as a widely respected investigative journalist," Zucker stated. "What I love about Chris is that he is passionate about every story he tells, never forgets about the viewer, and represents the type of journalism that makes CNN great."
Cuomo himself said, "This is a fantastic opportunity to do what I value the most and hopefully to do the work that I do best." He added, "While it's very difficult to leave ABC News, a place filled with people I have loved working with for many years, I am excited about my future with CNN."
Cuomo will reportedly start working on CNN Monday. He will host a morning show beginning in spring, and will likely be paired with current evening anchor Erin Burnett. Soledad O'Brien has been the co-host of CNN's morning show in the last 12 months and the cable channel is currently "discussing various options with her."
Following Cuomo's departure, ABC News quickly finds his replacement. The network has chosen David Muir as the new co-anchor of "20/20" to join Elizabeth Vargas at the desk, effective immediately.
"David has been an authoritative presence at the anchor desk, most recently anchoring nearly five hours straight as we learned of the horrible events unfolding in Newtown," said ABC News president Ben Sherwood. Muir will continue to serve as "World News" weekend anchor and Diane Sawyer's weekday pinch hitter.
Cuomo was a chief law and justice correspondent for ABC News. He also served as the news anchor for "Good Morning America" from 2006 to 2009. As for Muir, he joined ABC in 2003 and has reported for various ABC News broadcasts, including "20/20", "World News", "GMA", "Primetime" and "Nightline".
