Allison Gollust Resigns from Position at CNN Nearly 2 Weeks After Jeff Zucker Leaves Company

Allison Gollust is stepping down from her position as Chief Marketing Officer for CNN, according to the network.

Jason Kilar, the CEO of the network's parent company WarnerMedia, announced Gollust's resignation in a memo to staff on Tuesday evening.

The news comes nearly two weeks after Jeff Zucker resigned from his position as president of CNN for failing to disclose his romantic relationship with Gollust, and a little over two months after Chris Cuomo was terminated by the network.

"Earlier today, Allison Gollust resigned from CNN following the conclusion of the Company's investigation into issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo," the note reads. "Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN's News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust and Chris Cuomo."

Kilar said the "comprehensive and definitive" investigation was "performed by a third-party law firm and led by a former federal judge" beginning in September and concluding this weekend.

"I realize this news is troubling, disappointing, and frankly, painful to read. These are valid feelings many of you have," Kilar wrote. "We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally."

The CEO also noted that he believed "we have taken the right actions" and requested that all employees "commit to the vital mission we share and the values that define us."

RELATED: Katie Couric Speaks Out After Jeff Zucker Resigns, Claims Many Ignored 'Inappropriate Behavior'

In a statement to PEOPLE, Gollust addressed her exit, calling WarnerMedia's statement "an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks."

"It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN's highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave," she added. "But I do so with my head held high, knowing that I gave my heart and soul to working with the finest journalists in the world."

A spokesperson for CNN did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Cuomo, 51, was terminated by CNN in December. The network announced the decision in a statement at the time, noting "additional information has come to light" while evaluating the journalist's involvement in the defense of his brother Andrew Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York in August following allegations of sexual misconduct.

On Feb. 2, Zucker, 56, announced his resignation from his longtime role in a staff memo. In the note, he explained that the decision to resign was made after he failed to disclose a "consensual relationship" with a colleague. At the time, Zucker did not reveal Gollust's identity.

"I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years," the statement read. "I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today."

Mike Groll/AP/Shutterstock; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Allison Gollust and Jeff Zucker

Reflecting on his time spent at the network, Zucker added that he wishes his former colleagues "nothing but the best in the years ahead."

A second email to staff from Kilar said Zucker's resignation had been "accepted."

"We thank Jeff for his contributions over the past 9 years," the statement continued, per CNN. "We will be announcing an interim leadership plan shortly. Both of these organizations are at the top of their respective games and are well prepared for their next chapters."

Gollust later spoke out about Zucker's resignation in a statement shared with PEOPLE and expressed her "regret" over the couple's failure to inform their employer of their romance.

"Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years," her statement read. "Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn't disclose it at the right time."

Added Gollust, "I'm incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do every day."

J. Countess/Getty Jeff Zucker

A source previously told PEOPLE that the situation surrounding Zucker's resignation unfolded "very, very, very quickly" and that he was given an ultimatum by Kilar after confirming his relationship with Gollust: resign or be fired.

"[Zucker and Gollust] were asked about their relationship as part of the Cuomo investigation and they answered truthfully and that was the first time they had disclosed it to anyone," the insider said. "And that was a problem because Jeff was required to disclose it when it began."

The source was also adamant that Zucker and Gollust's relationship turned romantic approximately a year ago, despite accounts otherwise. ("It was an open secret and I haven't even worked there for like 8 years," former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien tweeted.)

As for why Gollust chose to stay at CNN, the source said Zucker "was the one that violated the policy and she didn't."

In the wake of Gollust's resignation this week and the suggestion that Zucker, Gollust and the Cuomos' behavior is connected, the Zucker source said that Zucker is "prohibited" from commenting further under the terms of his own ouster from the company.

But, the source notes, WarnerMedia had expressly approved his own prior statement about leaving because of his secret relationship with Gollust.

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Before his resignation and romance news broke, Katie Couric had mentioned Zucker and Gollust's close bond in her October 2021 memoir, Going There. Couric, 65, said Zucker "made a huge push to bring on Allison Gollust" during his tenure at NBCUniversal, where the broadcast journalist was previously employed while hosting NBC's TODAY from 1991 to 2006.

"When we worked together at NBC, she and Jeff cooked up even bolder ways to draw attention to TODAY and later Jeff himself when he moved to Entertainment," she wrote. "They were joined at the hip. The problem was, we'd already hired a PR person for the show. There wasn't a role for Allison. Jeff asked me to meet with her anyway."

Couric also recalled when Gollust "and her husband and kids had moved into the apartment above" the one where Zucker and his now ex-wife, Caryn Nathanson, lived. (Zucker and Nathanson, who share four children together, were married from 1996 to 2019.)

"Everyone who heard about the cozy arrangement thought it was super strange," she continued. "By that point, [Zucker's then-wife] Caryn had become a close friend and it made me really uncomfortable."

Later addressing her previous comments in her "Wake-Up Call" newsletter, Couric admitted she "wondered about the nature of their relationship." She added, "It seems their colleagues and the media at large turned a blind eye to inappropriate behavior."