Josh Elliott was fired from CBS News on Monday following an unusual series of events that started on Friday when he resigned his post from the network’s digital channel.
Which came as quite a surprise to his bosses.
Elliott had served as CBSN’s lead daytime anchor for about a year, but he announced his emotional goodbye to viewers just prior to the weekend, saying it was his “last day” and adding:
“It has been by any measure a great stay here at CBSN.”
According to The New York Post, Elliott’s departure came as a shock to CBS executives, none of whom had any idea he was planning to leave the digital station.
“This is a mess of epic proportions,” said a network source to Page Six. “Nobody at the top at CBS News knew that Josh was going to do that.”
Insiders tell the publication that Elliott had recently sat and talked with Laurie Orlando, the network’s head of talent, who told him she wanted him to take on a bigger role at CBS News. “
“Then Josh announced his departure without warning,” explains the source. “Executives at CBS were stunned.”
Sounds like quite the miscommunication, huh?
Fast forward to Monday… and the axe coming down on Elliott’s CBS career.
“Josh was called to a meeting with CBS News heads including [president] David Rhodes and fired. He was escorted out of the building by security,” writes Page Six.
The source adds:
“Meanwhile, Laurie Orlando, who seems to be responsible for much of this mess, is missing. Nobody has seen her. This is a mystifying situation.”
Wait… what?!? Orlando is flat-out missing?!?
Elliott seems to think that his executive producer is the one who messed up here, failing to alert higher-ups about his future at the network.
“They totally bungled their own announcement,” says the source. “There was no communication.”
The network has not confirmed the bizarre details behind Elliott’s departure, but the network did release a statement in regard to Elliott being let go.
It reads:
“CBS News and Josh Elliott are parting ways. Josh will no longer be reporting for CBS News. We are grateful for his contributions over the last year, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Elliott has now been fired by CBS, ABC and CBS.
You probably got to know him as co-host at ABC’S Good Morning America.
However, abruptly quit in 2014 after he was poached by NBC.
And now he’s gotten himself into this scandal at CBS.
Elliott joined CBS News in March 2016 in order to serve as the lead anchor for its digital news service CBSN.
It was thought by many that that he was being groomed as a successor to Charlie Rose and was due to fill in for the news legend over the next several days, as Rose just underwent heart surgery.
Alas.
We’ll be curious to see what’s next for Josh Elliott.