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.

His departure will undoubtedly leave a void within CNN, a company that in recent years seems to have lost its bearings and struggles to clearly define its position.

Jim Acosta revealed on air that he quit his job at CNN rather than accept a move to a later time slot, putting an end to his nearly two-decade run at the network and leaving behind what was surely a decent salary (especially for a journalist).