David Leavy, Longtime Zaslav Adviser, to Exit Warner Bros. Discovery

David Leavy, a longtime aide to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, is leaving the company after more than two decades.

Leavy announced his plans Thursday in a note to staffers. “When I first joined in 2000, Discovery was based in Bethesda, MD, as a small privately held cable company with a few networks and websites…but it did have really smart and dedicated people with very grand ambitions…and to witness the company’s extraordinary evolution and global growth over the past 25 years has been incredible,” he said. “That story continues to be written in real time with the next great chapter in ’26 and beyond.  I will be cheering loudly for the best outcomes for WBD with all the amazing stories it tells every day, and all the world-class people that work here.”

During his tenure, Leavy managed communications for Discovery as it grew larger and more influential — first as a large purveyor of non-fiction, documentary and reality TV, and then as a bigger player in the media sector through its acquisitions of the former Scripps Networks and WarnerMedia.

In 2023, Leavy was dispatched to CNN, to oversee business operations under then-CEO Chris Licht, a move viewer as Zaslav growing more embedded in the news outlet’s operations. Leavy returned to corporate work on 2025, but in a less defined role.

“David is both a great person and an outstanding executive, and I’m confident this is the right moment for him to take the next step in his career and life.,” Zaslav said. “Wherever he goes, he will bring leadership, strategic drive and just a collaborative spirit that always leads to good things happening.”

Leavy will exit at the end of 2025. “As the company goes through its next iteration of structure and strategy, and after 25 years at this wonderful organization, it feels like the right time to do the same.” He expects to take some time off, then examine new opportunities that could be tied to media, politics or something entirely different.