Veteran CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour announced Monday that she will leave the network in June 2027, ending a 43-year career marked by international reporting and several controversies involving her statements about Israel, Hamas hostages and the Holocaust.
Amanpour, 68, who serves as CNN's chief international anchor, confirmed her decision in a statement after months of deliberation.
“After many months of thought and a few sleepless nights, I have decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!" she said.
The journalist added that she “looks forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism. Remember: always be truthful, not neutral."
Amanpour has hosted her namesake interview program on CNN International since 2009. In January 2025, she reduced her schedule to several appearances per week.
Beginning in January 2027, the program will air weekly before concluding in May. Amanpour will continue traveling and reporting for CNN until her departure the following month.
Reflecting on her career, Amanpour thanked “all the amazingly talented people I’ve worked with throughout this incredible journey. Especially my beloved show teams and field crews."
“From my very first big exciting assignment covering the First Gulf War, to the horrors of the Bosnian War, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iran and all the points in between, it’s the teams and the camaraderie that counted so much," she said, “as we together battled to seek the facts, the evidence and the humanity, so that CNN could always broadcast the truth about the world and to the world, without fear nor favor."
Throughout her CNN career, Amanpour has repeatedly drawn criticism over her coverage of Israel and statements concerning Jewish history.
In 2013, during an interview with then-Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, Amanpour referred to Judea and Samaria as the “occupied West Bank", defending the description as “an international term".
Bennett rejected her characterization, responding, “One cannot occupy his own home."
The two clashed over similar terminology in 2022, when Bennett was serving as Prime Minister. During that interview, Amanpour asserted that “the West Bank has been occupied since 1967".
Another controversy erupted in 2020 after Amanpour compared the Trump presidency to the Nazi assault on Jewish communities during Kristallnacht in 1938.
She described Trump's presidency as an “assault" on human civilization, drawing criticism for invoking the Nazi pogroms in a contemporary American political context.
The Israeli government demanded an apology from CNN, and Amanpour subsequently expressed regret.
“Hitler and his evils stand alone, of course, in history. I regret any pain my statement may have caused. My point was to say how democracy can potentially slip away, and how we must always zealously guard our democratic values."
In 2023, Amanpour caused an uproar after saying on her program that terror victims Lucy Dee, and her daughters Rina and Maia were “killed in a shootout" rather than stating they were murdered in a terrorist attack. She later apologized to the family’s father, Rabbi Leo Dee.
Amanpour faced another wave of criticism last year after suggesting that Israeli hostages held by Hamas had likely received better treatment than ordinary Gaza residents.
Her remarks came during a live broadcast following the release of 20 Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity.
Discussing the hostages' experiences, Amanpour said, “It’s been a terrible, terrible two years for them, because not only are they there - you know, they’re probably being treated better than the average Gazan, because they are the pawns and the chips that Hamas had."
The statement circulated widely on social media and prompted strong condemnation from critics who accused her of minimizing the suffering of Israeli hostages and portraying their treatment by Hamas in a misleading light.
Amanpour subsequently apologized for the remark.