As students in social studies teacher Angela Ecabert’s US history class tuned in for the new season of CNN 10, a constant for over a decade was missing. Longtime favorite Carl Azuz was no longer anchoring the show.  

With no official initial announcement from Azuz or CNN at the start of the new season, viewers were confused about where was Azus and who was the new host. Outrage followed online and in the classroom while students speculated what happened to Azuz. 

“I was confused where he was at,” freshman Katherine Garcia said. “I thought it was just temporary.”  

Ecabert noticed the outrage in her classes with former NFL player and sports correspondent Coy Wire replacing Azuz.  

“It was ridiculous,” Ecabert said. “A lot of freaking out a lot of like, where’s Carl? Who’s bald Mr. Clean? And any other thing they could think of. They didn’t understand. They’re like this is so confusing. Everyone is so used to Carl Azuz.” 

Azuz broke silence on Sept. 19 with an announcement on his Tik Tok page confirming he would “no longer be part of the show where you and I met,” after hosting it for 14 years. While Azuz nor CNN gave exact reasoning for his departure, he took the time to reflect on the time he was on the show as well as thanking fans for the opportunities the show opened for him. 

In a separate Tik Tok released on Oct. 6, Azuz showed his appreciation to his fans and his hopes to continue to keep those connections with his career in broadcast journalism.  

CNN released this statement in a newsletter, “Carl Azuz is leaving CNN. We’re incredibly grateful to Carl for the years he dedicated to CNN 10 and CNN as an organization. We know that students, teachers, faculty and loyal viewers of CNN 10 join us in sending him a heartfelt thank you for providing the news – in a fun entertaining and factual way- to a generation. Carl is leaving the company due to a personal decision, and we wish him the very best in his next chapter and future adventures.” 

Since Azuz’s departure from CNN he has started to become more active on his social media even earning over a quarter of a million followers on Tik Tok according to social media tracker Social Blade. He’s averaged nearly 200,000 views on Tik Toks he posted since his departure announcement.