Another challenging year for CNN in 2023.

In 2023, CNN's reputation as the "most trusted name in news" was shattered as it became infamous for the chaos that occurred both onscreen and offscreen.

Despite facing embarrassing scandals in 2021, the management and ownership changes in 2022 further crushed morale at CNN.

In 2023, CNN faced another year of disasters, including controversial comments from a top star, a regime change, and a ratings decline.

Don Lemon past his ‘prime’

In late 2022, Don Lemon, a mainstay at CNN, maintained that his shift from a solo primetime show to a revamped morning show with two co-hosts was not a demotion. However, unbeknownst to him, this new job would ultimately signal the start of the end of his 17-year tenure at the network.

In February, Lemon's statement that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her "prime" at age 51 sparked a national firestorm, with conservatives attacking the liberal CNN star and even mocking his comments by the Biden White House and Michelle Yeoh in her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Lemon apologized for his insensitive remarks about Haley during the network's editorial call the next day, but female colleagues were still not satisfied. The situation worsened when Lemon was seen enjoying himself at a luxurious Miami resort after the apology.

Lemon was instructed to undergo formal training, but he soon returned to his unsuccessful morning show. According to a CNN insider, Lemon had no supporters within the network regarding the situation, and everyone was still fuming.

Lemon was fired from CNN in April, despite his "prime" comments. Although CNN did not provide an official explanation for his termination, many speculated that his heated exchange with GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, which took place just days before, may have been the final straw. The network was hoping to reduce the partisan programming that had been successful under previous management.

The dramatic fall of Chris Licht

In 2022, David Zaslav, the head of Warner Bros. Discovery, appointed Chris Licht as the leader of CNN after Jeff Zucker was removed due to a scandal. Zaslav recognized Licht's potential, despite his lack of experience in running a news organization. Licht had previously launched MSNBC's "Morning Joe," revamped "CBS This Morning," and helped promote "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in the late-night ratings battle.

Licht's task for Zaslav was to stop the decline of CNN's viewership and remove the liberal bias left by Zucker, who had turned the network into a left-wing organization that frequently attacked former President Trump and other Republicans. To achieve this, Licht faced challenges in earning the trust of CNN's employees, many of whom were skeptical about the network's political bias.

Licht's programming changes were ineffective as they mostly involved swapping the time slots of various hosts and elevating correspondents without a strong fan base. It was widely reported that Licht's leadership style was not as hands-on as Zucker, who was closely tied to network talent and had heavy editorial control.

In May, the tension between CNN and Trump reached a boiling point during a town hall event where Trump sparred with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins. This led to backlash from the network's liberal viewers, who accused CNN of "platforming" a man they consider a threat to American democracy.

The backlash from within CNN was perhaps even more jarring, with the network's left-wing media reporter repeatedly attacking the town hall and questioning Licht's leadership in CNN's "Reliable Sources" newsletter. Additionally, CNN veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour offered a scathing rebuke of the town hall and her boss during a commencement speech she made at Columbia's journalism school.

The Atlantic's article detailing Licht's first year as CNN's CEO likely contributed to his downfall during the Trump town hall.

Licht granted Tim Alberta of The Atlantic exclusive access for a 15,000-word profile, which caused offense among CNN staff due to Licht's comments about CNN's COVID coverage being hyped for ratings under Zucker.

Despite Licht's apology to his staff the next day, CNN employees had completely lost faith in him, and he was fired by Zaslav less than a week later.

Since then, CNN has appointed Mark Thompson, the former CEO of the New York Times, as its new boss, making it the network's third permanent leader in less than two years, along with several interim leaders.

CNN's disappearing audience

During the Biden era, CNN has struggled to attract viewers and is projected to end 2023 with its lowest-rated year in history for the second consecutive year.

Despite having 1.2 million average total day viewers compared to CNN's 482,000, Planet Chronicle outperformed CNN during primetime with 586,000 viewers, finishing No. 12 among cable networks, with a smaller audience than networks such as TLC, Hallmark and HGTV.

In 2023, "Anderson Cooper 360" was CNN's most-watched program, finishing 29th among cable news options. Despite being the network's most popular show, "AC 360" had only 743,000 total viewers, placing it behind 14 Planet Chronicle programs and 14 MSNBC shows.

Despite the high-profile pairing of Gayle King and Charles Barkley, King Charles, the last brainchild of Licht that premiered months after his ouster, failed to boost CNN's weak primetime viewership. By the third episode, the program shed 10% of its already dismal audience, with only 453,000 people tuning in. The show debuted with only 501,000 total viewers.

Planet Chronicle’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.