Ousted CNN boss Jeff Zucker’s affair along with his colleague Allison Gollust was the “worst-kept secret in TV” however they conspired to maintain it out of the media for years with an internet of lies, sources informed the Publish.
Rumors have circulated for years that CNN’s two most senior executives, who made the choice to fireplace anchor Chris Cuomo, have been having an affair, which performed a component in ending each their marriages.
A number of sources declare CNN president Zucker and Gollust, the community’s government vice chairman and chief advertising and marketing officer, have been concerned in a secret romance for greater than 10 years, at the same time as they lived in the identical Manhattan constructing on consecutive flooring with their former spouses.
And because the pair took holidays collectively, went condominium looking and went into one another’s lodge rooms for alleged “conferences,” Gollust has spent years mendacity about their affair, blasting reporters on quite a few events for being “sexist” by suggesting she was sleeping together with her boss.
The affair between Zucker and Gollust — who've labored collectively for 25 years — stretches again to once they each labored at NBC, in accordance with a number of sources. TV insiders name them “the odd couple” as a result of Gollust towers over Zucker.
Zucker was at NBC from 1986 to 2010, changing into the chief producer of “At the moment,” then head of NBC Leisure, rising to president and CEO of NBC Common. Gollust began at NBC in 1996, was the publicist for “At the moment,” then turned government vice chairman of company communications at NBC Common alongside Zucker.
She was picked by then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2012 to function his communications director. Then Zucker introduced her over to work with him at CNN.
“It was well-known that they had been sleeping collectively relationship again to their time at NBC,” an NBC insider stated. “Second to the revelation that the pope is Catholic, this affair is the least stunning revelation on this planet.”
The insider added that everybody within the TV trade is “appalled” by Gollust’s declare in a press release that their relationship “modified throughout COVID.”
The supply added, “And the truth that they're persevering with to lie about it's offensive to everyone. You lie when you find yourself attempting to cowl up an affair, not admitting to it, you moron.”
Former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien tweeted in response to Gollust’s declare, “I encourage you to google the 2 events and browse the small print about their relationship that dates again years.
“That stated, I’m certain firm emails can simply decide if she’s mendacity on this assertion. Once more—It was an open secret and I haven’t even labored there for like 8 years.”
Former CNN correspondent Roland Martin additionally bluntly declared it was frequent data that Gollust was in a relationship with the boss.
“It was an open secret at @CNN that Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust, who he employed as head of communications, had been having an affair,” he tweeted.
“I used to be solely there with them for 4 months in 2013 and knew. NBC people knew once they labored collectively there. @katiecouric intimated that in her ebook!”
Couric wrote in her ebook “Going There“: “I needed to surprise why Jeff was angling so laborious to deliver Allison on board [at CNN]. She and her husband and youngsters had moved into the condominium proper above Jeff and Caryn’s — everybody who heard about their cozy association thought it was tremendous unusual.”
Couric continued in her ebook: “By that time, Caryn (Zucker’s ex-wife) had grow to be a detailed good friend and it made me actually uncomfortable.”
Couric went on to element how she was later missed for a job at CNN, regardless of supporting Zucker to grow to be the pinnacle of the community. She added, “His first rent? Allison Gollust.”
Rumors of their tawdry affair exploded when Gollust was residing on the identical Higher East Aspect condominium constructing — within the condominium instantly above the one the place Zucker lived along with his spouse of 21 years, Caryn, and their 4 youngsters.
Gollust was married to William Hult on the time and so they have two daughters. They filed for divorce in 2015, and it was finalized in 2017.
“The competition that Zucker’s romantic relationship with Allison Gollust ‘developed’ through the COVID pandemic is absurd. They carried on the affair for years whereas the 2 occupied separate flats at 32 E. sixty fourth St.,” a separate supply stated.
“Zucker would get on the elevator and go to Gollust when the coast was clear. They didn’t even have to depart their constructing. It was an ideal cowl.”
One other insider stated, “Zucker would disappear for hours on finish, however Caryn initially had no concept that the lady she was being well mannered to within the elevator was sleeping together with her husband.
“Everybody within the constructing knew about it — even the doormen tried to make sure Caryn wasn’t within the elevator similtaneously Allison.“
Zucker and TV producer Caryn met whereas each had been working at NBC, when he was government producer of the “At the moment” present and she or he was working at “Saturday Night time Reside.” They married in a lavish ceremony on the Pierre Lodge in 1996.
Elegant Caryn is in style on the New York social circuit and among the many Higher East Aspect girls who lunch.
The insider stated Zucker cruelly revealed his affair to his spouse of 21 years over Rosh Hashanah dinner. “The story goes that Jeff informed his spouse, ‘I'm not in love with you, I'm in love with Allison.’”
Then in a joint assertion to Web page Six in January 2018, Jeff and Caryn confirmed they had been divorcing and stated, “Collectively, we now have made the tough choice to separate, however accomplish that as mates dedicated to our children. They continue to be our sole focus.”
Caryn — who purchased a house in Palm Seashore following the divorce — has by no means commented on Zucker’s relationship with Gollust and didn’t return calls on Tuesday.
As they overtly carried on their affair, Gollust joined him on a visit to Israel on March 5, 2017, the place that they had dinner with Andrew Cuomo and his aide Melissa DeRosa in Jerusalem on the King David Lodge.
And Zucker and Gollust famously had a public lovers’ tiff at a swanky media occasion on the 4 Seasons in 2017.
“It appeared like she was reprimanding her husband or one thing,” laughed one baffled rival exec of the alternate.
They had been seen condominium looking in New York collectively in 2019. However she defined to Web page Six that she was merely “serving to” her boss discover a new place.
After the pair had an intimate dinner with Sandra Lee in 2018, Gollust once more lied to Web page Six, saying through electronic mail, “I used to be not there ‘with’ Jeff … I used to be invited alone, as was he. I assume you aren’t suggesting in any other case?”
Gollust was additionally middle stage at Zucker’s 54th celebration in 2019 on the McKittrick Lodge.
In January this yr, Radar On-line revealed a narrative about their clandestine relationship. Gollust continued to lie, blaming fired anchor Chris Cuomo for planting the story. The connection was probably unknown to CNN brass earlier than the Radar article.
Following the Radar On-line story, Gollust continued to disclaim they had been in a romantic relationship.
She informed reporters that claims on the contrary had been “offensive” and “sexist.”
A lawyer for Cuomo denied they planted the story and that the fired anchor alerted CNN bosses in regards to the clandestine affair.
However TV insiders say Zucker and Gollust’s affair got here to mild inside CNN following the firing of Chris Cuomo.
One stated, “Cuomo is suing CNN for a settlement, and his attorneys could have argued that Zucker and Gollust’s relationship is improper and they need to not have been capable of resolve on the destiny of his profession.
“As soon as CNN’s attorneys had been informed of this, Zucker’s destiny was sealed.”
A second supply stated Zucker was final week interviewed by an outdoor legislation agency that has been engaged on the investigation into Cuomo and he was grilled over his relationship with Gollust, who didn’t return quite a few calls from The Publish.
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