Jeff Zucker wanted to stay at CNN until the spring, but was refused and asked for an immediate resignation, report says

• CNN president Jeff Zucker abruptly stepped down on Wednesday, reportedly shocking network employees.
• Zucker asked WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar to stay longer so he could help with a transition, CNN reported.

Jeff Zucker wanted to stay at CNN until the spring, but was refused and asked for an immediate resignation, the network reported.

Zucker abruptly resigned as CNN president on Wednesday, saying he failed to disclose a consensual relationship with a senior network executive. Many CNN staffers were said to be shocked by the resignation.

Zucker had been expected to play a prominent role in the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, which is set to take place this summer. WarnerMedia is also planning to launch a new subscription streaming video news service called CNN+, in the spring.

In a meeting with top CNN executives that morning, Zucker suggested he wanted to stay on the network until at least the spring to oversee a smooth transition, but WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar refused, CNN reported.

Zucker would be fired if he did not resign immediately, CNN reported, citing two sources.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Zucker expressed plans to stay at CNN at least until the Discovery deal closed.

Kilar said three senior executives — Michael Bass, Amy Entelis, and Ken Jautz — would lead CNN until the merger with Discovery is complete, the network reported.

Kilar flew to New York to oversee Zucker's transition, and ran a team meeting that Zucker usually holds, CNN reported.

Kilar has since been fending off questions from CNN staffers, some of whom felt Zucker didn't get a second chance after admitting that he had failed to disclose his romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, the senior executive.

In a tense, hourlong meeting on Wednesday evening, attended by top CNN talent including teh hosts Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Jim Acosta, Kilar declined to answer questions about the specifics of his decision and why Zucker left so quickly, according to an audio recording obtained by Insider.

Kilar also declined to answer questions about the timeline of Zucker's departure but said he had followed a process "with an appropriate sense of urgency," The Journal reported.

Some CNN staffers also suspected that former news anchor Chris Cuomo flagged Zucker's workplace relationship as revenge for firing him in December. Cuomo was fired after it emerged he was helping his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, navigate a sexual-harassment scandal.

One staffer told Vanity Fair there was "lots of anger" and "lots of corporate doublespeak" during Kilar's Wednesday meeting with staff.

Kilar "had no answers and didn't come across as aware of what was going on at CNN, or cognizant of how people felt about Jeff," the person said.