Acosta is the first big name to exit CNN in the changes being implemented by CEO Mark Thompson. Thompson last week also told staff that the company intends to lay off a couple hundred employees in a pivot to digital, with a new streaming service in the works.

CNN made Jim Acosta an offer he could refuse, and he did. The veteran journalist known for his aggressive coverage of the Trump administration told viewers Tuesday that he will leave the network rather than take a new role as anchor of a live two-hour newscast that would start at midnight Eastern.