Well, well, well… CNN has fired its CEO, Chris Licht. Licht's firing comes exactly one month after he aired the network’s controversial Town Hall with the GOP Presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Licht made a play for Trump’s base but CNN’s ratings plummeted in the days after the Town Hall. CNN anchor Kate Bolduan announced Licht's firing during her morning broadcast and reportedly, there was a sigh of relief amongst CNN staffers because Licht had ruffled a lot of feathers at the network. Variety reported that among many tragedies at CNN under Licht’s leadership, Don Lemon moving to daytime was one foreseeable catastrophe and another one was tasking journalist Kaitlyn Collins with single-handedly reining in Trump for his Town Hall broadcast. CNN’s parent company, Warner Discovery, reportedly has lined up a panel of executives, including new COO David Leavy, to run the network until a new CEO is appointed.
In trending stories… Weeks after Ja Morant’s latest gun incident, in which he appeared to flash a gun on Instagram Live for the second time, people in Ja’s camp are reportedly claiming that the gun in question was a toy. Reality TV star and podcaster, Claudia Jordan has stated that she’s in contact with Ja Morant’s team and although the gun Ja was holding in the video is a toy, the NBA is still planning to give Ja a lengthy suspension. This comes after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently said he had uncovered more information about the incident but he would wait to give his judgment on the incident until after the NBA finals are over.
And speaking of guns… Thanks to a California judge, rapper T.I. and his wife Tomeka’s legal battles against Sabrina Peterson, his wife’s former friend are over. Peterson filed a lawsuit in 2021 that claimed that T.I. harassed her and held her at gunpoint and the court of appeals has dismissed several allegations in Peterson’s case. In addition to having the claims thrown out, Peterson is now responsible for paying T.I. and Tomeka Harris’ legal fees.
And finally… This year’s iHeart Music Festival lineup has been announced! The two-day festival will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest and will be broadcasted live via iHeartMedia radio stations. Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Public Enemy, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, and TLC, along with many others, are set to perform this year. The iHeartRadio Music Festival is scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23 in Las Vegas. Ticket pre-sale starts Wednesday, June 14th.