A bombshell report claimed that ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker has attempted to enlist a number of high-profile billionaires to buy the embattled news network — and reps for Zucker are denying it up and down.
Variety reported late Tuesday that the former CNN CEO approached several big wigs about bankrolling a deal to take the cable channel private — including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs, George Soros’ son Alex Soros, and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Zucker — who was ousted from the company more than a year and a half ago over his undisclosed relationship with former CNN flack Allison Gollust — reportedly retained the services of an international law firm, Clifford Chance, in a bid to buy CNN Worldwide, according to Variety.
But a rep for Zucker — who repeatedly has been floated as a possible acquirer of CNN despite the network’s owner, Warner Bros. Discovery, insisting that it has no plans to sell — shot down the report with an unusually thorough rebuttal on Wednesday.
“Any allegation or insinuation that Jeff has made any effort to purchase CNN is unequivocally false,” a spokesperson for Zucker told The Post. “He has never had any meeting or conversation about buying CNN with anyone.”
According to Variety, Zucker’s interest in buying CNN was mentioned in an Aug. 7 letter from Allied Turkish Bank IBU Northern Cyprus to Clifford Chance’s office in Istanbul.
The magazine reported that Zucker also sought to enlist Mario Ferreira, the media mogul who owns CNN Portugal, as an investor.
Not so, according to spokespeople for Zucker.
“He has never discussed buying CNN with Jeff Bezos, Laurene Powell Jobs or Alex Soros,” Zucker’s rep told The Post. “Jeff has never met or spoken to Alex Soros. He has never met or spoken to Roman Abromovich. He has never met or spoken to Mario Ferreria.”
Zucker’s spokesperson added: “Jeff has never talked to any Turkish Bank.”
Sources critical of the statements suggested that Zucker’s rep, Risa Heller, was “playing word games,” suggesting that representatives for Zucker have approached the billionaires on his behalf.
To that, Heller shot back: “Any allegation or insinuation that Jeff or any of his surrogates has made any effort to purchase CNN is unequivocally false. He has never had any meeting or conversation about buying CNN with anyone. No discussions about buying CNN have taken place with Soros, Bezos or Laurene Powell Jobs.”
The Post has sought comment from Variety, CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery, Bezos, Abramovich, Powell Jobs, and Soros.
Since publication, Variety has stood by the author of its report, Tatiana Siegel, telling CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy on Tuesday: “Variety stands by our investigative story about CNN written by one of the best journalists in the business.”
Zucker’s camp, meanwhile, is also denying a Variety claim that RedBird, the private equity firm that teamed up with the former CNN boss last year to form a $1 billion venture that would seek out investments in media, sports, and entertainment, was set to acquire CNN through a deal brokered by mergers and acquisitions firm Pandion Partners.
The rep for Zucker told The Post: “Jeff has never heard of Pandion Partners. He has no relationship with Clifford Chance.”
According to Variety, Zucker plotted to take control of CNN just months after he was fired by the network’s corporate bosses in February of last year over a years-long relationship with Gollust, his top marketing officer at CNN.
The publication claimed that Zucker repeatedly undermined his successor, former “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” showrunner Chris Licht, who was installed as CNN boss by the network’s new corporate overlord, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Zucker’s representatives assailed Variety.
“There used to be a time when Variety held its content and its reporters to a high standard of truth and facts in journalism, but those days are clearly over,” a spokesperson for Zucker told The Post. “It is stunning to read a piece that is so patently and aggressively false.”
“On numerous occasions, we made it clear to the reporter and her editors that they were planning to publish countless anecdotes and alleged incidents that never happened,” Zucker’s spokesperson said.
“They did so anyway. The piece is a total joke.”
Zaslav fired Licht earlier this year after the latter was featured in a magazine profile by The Atlantic.
In the Atlantic article, Licht was portrayed as a boss who was in over his head and who had alienated rank-and-file CNN personnel with controversial decisions, such as green-lighting a town hall featuring former President Donald Trump.
Licht’s tenure as CNN boss was beset with low ratings and staff unrest, including on-air dust-ups between now-fired anchor Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins.
Licht was not immediately available for comment.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
