Strange Things About Alisyn Camerota's Friendship With Former CNN Chief Jeff Zucker

Jeff Zucker was a high-level executive at a news network. Alisyn Camerota was a prominent on-air anchor for multiple news networks. Even though both were employed by CNN at the same time, and both have since left the company, that's not the only thing the two have shared. And not all of their interactions have been as black and white or fact-filled as the news they were responsible for reporting. 

Zucker and Camerota have long been fans of one another. When Camerota switched from Fox News to CNN in 2014 as an anchor, then president of CNN Worldwide Zucker declared, "I have been a fan of Alisyn's for a very long time, and couldn't be happier that she has agreed to come to CNN." And when Zucker unexpectedly resigned from CNN in 2022 due to a romantic scandal, Camerota was a staunch defender, telling audiences during a CNN newscast, as reported by Mediaite on X, formerly known as Twitter, "I feel it deeply, personally, but also I think I speak for all of us and our colleagues — this is an incredible loss. He has this uncanny ability to make, I think, every one of us feel special and valuable in our own way."

It's only natural for close colleagues and friends to champion each other, but the relationship between Zucker and Camerota has sometimes appeared to blur lines. Zucker was married until his divorce in 2018, and has been with long-term girlfriend Allison Gollust ever since. Camerota was married to husband Tim Lewis for almost 23 years, until his death in 2024. But despite being committed to other people, there have been questionable interactions between the two former CNN employees.

In the summer of 2023, after Jeff Zucker had already left CNN, but Alisyn Camerota was still reporting for the news network, the two attended a party in the Hamptons. Don Lemon, who had been let go from CNN months earlier, was the host of the shindig, and the guest list included several people from the network, including former employee Allison Gollust — otherwise known as Zucker's girlfriend (pictured above).

But even though his current love was circulating on the very same beach at the very same time, it wasn't she who left the bash with Zucker, but the other Alisyn in attendance. Zucker and Camerota coupled up as they left the party together, and were caught on camera not only walking together, but holding hands. It was reported the duo exited Lemon's party a scant five minutes before Gollust was spotted leaving by herself. Zucker and Camerota came back about 40 minutes later and eventually went their separate ways.

Former CNN boss Jeff Zucker and married anchor Alisyn Camerota 'just old friends' despite holding hands https://t.co/upwad67wX3 pic.twitter.com/eWME6DoNfs

— Page Six (@PageSix) July 25, 2023

Page Six reported that a source claimed the two were, "just old friends," and that Zucker and Camerota were just being friendly while heading out for coffee, with plans to meet up with Gollust for a hot beverage, as well. It's strange, though, that all three were at the same party, and all three were headed to the same place, but the two people who weren't officially a couple were the two who left together, hands clasped.

Alisyn Camerota took to Instagram in September 2024 to reveal to fans that her husband Tim Lewis had lost his two-year battle with cancer in July. "I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a deep, committed, loving partnership for the time we had," she wrote. Just shy of their 23-year anniversary, Lewis and Camerota shared three kids together. As all signs point to Camerota having a happy and committed marriage, it makes it even odder that friend and former colleague Jeff Zucker would allude to sex between the two.

At the Mirror Awards in 2019, Zucker stepped up to the podium to accept an award for leadership. He was then the president of CNN Worldwide, and Camerota was co-anchor of "New Day," a morning news program on the network. As noted by reporter Jeremy Barr on X, Zucker had more to share than just his thanks. "I was gonna say that I love waking up WITH YOU every morning, but I want to say that I love waking up TO YOU every morning," the CNN executive joked. 

Given Camerota's married status, and the predominance of the #MeToo movement at the time, it was more than just a little strange that Zucker would crack even this small joke at the expense of his colleague and friend.