CNN Drops James Carville, Mary Matalin; Others Leave in Zucker Shake-up

Democratic strategist and political commentator James Carville says he and his wife Mary Matalin, a Republican political consultant and conservative journalist, are leaving CNN.

Carville told Politico's Dylan Byers on Tuesday that the decision was CNN's.

"I was told that they wanted the contributors to be more available — essentially, closer to Washington. I'm not always available, I don't live there," he said.

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The political odd couple resides in New Orleans.

Matalin didn't respond to Politico's inquiry about the departure, but Carville told the website that they both enjoyed their time with CNN and respected its decision.

The couple has been a media fascination for years, often appearing in split-screen debates that resemble a disagreement between a married couple rather than two political commentators with opposing views.

Carville, a New Orleans native known for his southern twang and outgoing personality, was President Bill Clinton's campaign manager during his successful 1992 victory over President George H. W. Bush.

Matalin, on the other hand, was the campaign director for George H. W. Bush, having previously served under President Ronald Reagan. Matalin went on to become an assistant to President George W. Bush, and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Carville and Matalin aren't the only major political contributors who will be leaving CNN in the new year.

According to Media Bistro's FishbowlDC, conservative commentator Bill Bennett and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona are also leaving the network, though Cardona is expected to remain on board at CNN Espanol, the network's Spanish language news channel.

Additionally, Mark Whitaker, CNN's executive vice president and managing editor, will also be saying good-bye to the network, according to sources speaking to Media Bistro's TVNewser.

The departures come only weeks after Jeff Zucker took over as president of CNN, succeeding Jim Walton as head of the struggling news network that launched 24-hour cable news 32 years ago.

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In recent years, CNN’s ratings have declined significantly, with the cable news network having its worst prime-time ratings in 21 years during the 2012 2nd quarter.

Zucker, considered by many in the industry to be a whiz kid, left NBC Universal when Comcast Corp. acquired a majority stake in the company two years ago.