Top 10 most notable firings and resignations of 2023

2023 was a wild year of hirings and firings, as major players in U.S. politics, academics, entertainment and tech stepped down or were removed from their prestigious positions.  Take a look at our top 10 most notable firings and resignations that graced the headlines during 2023's unpredictable wave of shake ups.

TUCKER CARLSON
FIRED AS FOX NEWS ANCHOR IN APRIL

Fox News surprised the U.S. in April by ‘mutually’ parting ways with its biggest star in April, saying : “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

The exact reason for the firing is still unclear, but sources say Carlson’s exit stems from a discrimination lawsuit filed by another producer and accusations he created a hostile working environment. 

Carlson’s ousting came on the heels of the $787.5 million settlement Fox News had to pay to Dominion Voting Systems after being accused of knowingly spreading falsehoods related to the integrity of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 

It was reported Carlson was fired on the personal direction of Rupert Murdoch.

DON LEMON
FIRED AS CNN NEWS ANCHOR IN APRIL

“I am stunned,” Lemon tweeted in April. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”

CNN said Lemon’s depiction of his departure was  “inaccurate.”

Lemon was the network’s most prominent Black news anchor, but got into hot water for offending his co-hosts and viewers by saying Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley isn’t “in her prime,” and other comments considered disparaging to women.

CHRIS LICHT
FIRED AS CEO OF CNN IN JUNE

Chief of CNN’s parent company WarnerBros Discovery, David Zaslav, fired the network’s CEO of 13 months in June.

Zaslav said Chris Licht “has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped, and ultimately that’s on me.”

Licht’s May town hall broadcast featuring former U.S. President Donald Trump did not go well after Trump was perceived to railroad Licht’s choice of host. 

Ratings and profits slipped at the network. Licht also reportedly made comments during personal interviews that outraged CNN journalists.  He was said to have ‘lost the newsroom,’ and confidence to steer the ship through turbulent times.

“I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you,” Licht said in an apology to his staff.

THE SUSSEXES
OFFICIALLY STRIPPED OF HRH TITLES ON ROYAL FAMILY WEBSITE IN AUGUST

Three years after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as working members of the British Royal Family, Buckingham Palace officials finally removed all remaining references to their former HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) honorifics on the official family website, completing their demotion.

DREW FINDLING
REPLACED AS DONALD TRUMP'S LEAD DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN GEORGIA CASE IN AUGUST

“Billion dollar lawyer” Drew Findling was replaced as the lead criminal defense counsel for Donald Trump hours before the former president surrendered to Fulton County, Georgia prosecutors on more than a dozen charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 

Findling - who was key in negotiating a $200,000 bond deal that helped Trump be processed and released quickly after his surrender - was replaced by attorney Steven Sadow.  It is unclear why Findling was replaced, but a Trump source indicated it was not about his performance, and called Sadow “the best criminal defense attorney in Georgia."

KEVIN MCCARTHY
OUSTED AS 55TH SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN OCTOBER

For the first time in U.S. history, the Speaker of the House of Representatives was ousted from his position after an 216-210 October vote in favor of vacating the seat. 

Kevin McCarthy lost the vote of eight of his own Republican party members, and did not have the support of any Democrats. The lower chamber was temporarily thrown into chaos as they scrambled to elect a new leader.

“You all know Matt Gaetz. You know it was personal. It had nothing to do about spending. It had nothing to do about, everything he accused somebody of, he was doing,” McCarthy said.  “This country is too great for small visions of those eight. They are not conservatives, and they do not have the right to have the title.”

SAM ALTMAN
FIRED AS CEO OF OPEN AI NOVEMBER 17, REHIRED NOVEMBER 22

OpenAI was founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others in 2015 and is the company behind ChatGPT, which took off in 2023.  

OpenAI’s nonprofit board ousted Altman as CEO on Nov. 17, 2023, but he was rehired on Nov. 22.

It is still unclear exactly why the board originally voted to fire him. The board’s statement said “Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.”

“I loved my time at openai. it was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. most of all i loved working with such talented people. will have more to say about what’s next later,” Altman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after he was canned.

OpenAI’s current employees rallied around Altman, with 702 out of 770 promising to quit unless Altman was reinstated as CEO immediately.

Reports cite the hasty commercialization of OpenAI products following the success of ChatGPT as one of the reasons Altman was at odds with the board.

“The future of artificial intelligence and the well-being of humanity depend on your unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and transparency,” an anonymous letter sent to the board by former Open AI employees warned in 2023.

SUSAN SARANDON
DROPPED BY UNITED TALENT AGENCY IN NOVEMBER

Considered one of Hollywood’s top talent firms, UTA announced it was “no longer representing” Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon following comments she made at a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Sarandon told the crowd: “There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of how it feels to be Muslim in this country.”

Sarandon later apologized on Instagram, saying:  “This phrasing was a terrible mistake as it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true. As we all know, from centuries of oppression and genocide in Europe, to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jews have long been familiar with discrimination and religious violence which continues to this day. It was my intent to show solidarity in the struggle against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry I failed to do so.”

GEORGE SANTOS
EXPELLED FROM U.S. CONGRESS IN DECEMBER

“To hell with this place,” George Santos told reporters on his way out of the U.S. Capitol after being expelled from the House of Representatives following a 311 to 114 vote in favor of his removal.  

Santos served his constituents for 11 months, but faced controversy the whole time after a slew of lies he told about his personal life, career, degrees and ancestry were exposed.  

The House Ethics Committed found Santos had exploited “every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit."

Santos was also accused of multiple scams, and was charged with 23 felonies in May.  Santos denies all the charges, which range from wire fraud to theft of public funds.  He is awaiting trial next September.

LIZ MAGILL
RESIGNED AS PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IN DECEMBER

After her testimony before a Congressional committee investigating the rise of antisemitism on college campuses enraged faculty and donors - including one who threatened to pull a $100 million donation - Liz Magill stepped down as UPenn’s president.

During the interrogation, Magill’s critics considered her answer evasive when she was asked if calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the university's code of conduct. Magill answered: "It is a context-dependent decision."

“Former President Liz Magill last week made a very unfortunate misstep - consistent with that of two peer university leaders sitting alongside her - after five hours of aggressive questioning before a Congressional committee,” said Scott Bok, the chair of the university’s board of trustees. “Following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and I concurrently decided that it was time for her to exit.” 

Bok also announced his resignation. 

“Worn down by months of relentless external attacks, she was not herself last Tuesday,” Bok said, adding that he stands with Magill, who he described as a “good person” and “not the slightest bit antisemitic.”

“It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions,” Magill said, according to Bok’s letter.

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