Kara Swisher’s CNN Exit Gets Messy With Bari Weiss in the Mix

Ashna GaurThu, September 24, 2026 at 2:46 PM UTC

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Photo Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Kara Swisher said she wanted to leave CNN as soon as possible amid expectations that David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance would absorb the network, but insider chatter also dragged Bari Weiss and Swisher’s ex, Nellie Bowles, into the story.

Swisher made her position clear on her Pivot podcast, saying she did not want to work for the company. However, unnamed sources separately suggested that Bowles’ marriage to Weiss could add a personal layer to Swisher’s planned departure.

Bari Weiss is at the center of insider chatter surrounding Kara Swisher’s planned CNN departure

Swisher said her objection centered on the expected new ownership and her concerns about how the company would handle CNN.

“F–k these guys,” she said on Pivot. “I don’t want to work for them.”

As per Page Six her CNN contract ran through December 31, but Swisher said she had already asked her agent to try to end the agreement early.

The Kara Swisher CNN exit then drew additional attention because of Weiss’ connection to Bowles.

Bowles previously worked on Swisher’s Recode podcast, and the two dated for several years. Bowles later began dating Weiss in 2018, and the couple eventually married and had two children.

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Weiss, who co-founded the Free Press with Bowles, had become a prominent figure within Paramount after Ellison placed her at the helm of CBS News. The source also said rumors had circulated that Weiss could take an editorial role at CNN.

That possibility fueled speculation from unnamed insiders about whether Swisher would want to work under her former girlfriend’s wife.

One source claimed, “Kara’s just jealous,” while others suggested Swisher had not moved past her relationship with Bowles. The source provided no evidence confirming those personal claims.

Swisher strongly rejected that interpretation after receiving a request for comment.

She shared the email on Threads and said she had long stated that she would leave CNN if the deal went through because she lacked confidence in the prospective owners as media stewards.

“As exciting as girl on girl action is for you to gin up, I have been saying for a long time now that I would depart CNN if the deal goes through,” Swisher wrote.

For Swisher, the public explanation remained focused on ownership and leadership concerns, while the Bari Weiss and Nellie Bowles angle came from insider speculation that she openly disputed.

The post Kara Swisher’s CNN Exit Gets Messy With Bari Weiss in the Mix appeared first on Reality Tea.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”