CNN boss Jeff Zucker and his wife, Caryn, have filed for divorce due to Zucker’s “obsession with Trump” that Caryn claims has destroyed their 21 year marriage.
According to friends, the couple “grew apart” after Zuck focussed all of his energy on trying to “take down Donald Trump” and neglecting his wife and their kids in the pursuit of that goal.
“It can’t be easy being married to Jeff — he is a workaholic, and is obsessed with news, and obsessed with being the best. Caryn is much more laid back and social, spends a lot of time with their kids and enjoys being part of the Upper East Side social circuit,” one friend told Page Six.
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Pagesix.com reports: “They’ve had their problems over the years. Things have been bad for 10 years, but they have now accepted their marriage is over, and he has moved out of their apartment.”
In a joint statement to Page Six, Jeff and Caryn said, “Together, we have made the difficult decision to separate, but do so as friends committed to our kids. They remain our sole focus.”
The couple met while both were working at NBC and married in a lavish ceremony at the Pierre Hotel in 1996, when he was executive producer of NBC’s “Today” show and Caryn was a supervisor at “Saturday Night Live.” They have four children — three boys and a girl.
Sources said CNN Worldwide president Jeff has been under increasing pressure from President Donald Trump, who has escalated his rhetorical attacks on CNN, its anchors and Zucker himself. But Zucker says Trump’s attacks have “emboldened” and energized the network, and boosted ratings.
After building “Today” at NBC with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, Jeff began a meteoric rise to the top of NBC Universal. He reunited with Couric on her failed daytime talk show at ABC, which destroyed their long friendship, and made his way over to CNN.
In 2014, he told New York Magazine he may be thinking of a move outside the television industry after CNN. “I’d like to run a professional football team,” he said. “I’d love to run the USTA [United States Tennis Association], be the sports editor of the New York Times. Would I consider a run for political office? Yes.” He said it is a “reasonable assumption” that CNN is his last television job.
But now Zucker is said to be interested in the ESPN president’s job after John Skipper abruptly resigned one month ago. Sources told Page Six that Disney CEO Bob Iger has called Zucker about the role, and they had a good conversation, but they have not had a formal meeting. Last week a CNN spokesperson said, “Jeff loves his job at CNN and has no interest in running ESPN.”
