Sophia Michaels
What’s the Italian for “vendetta?”
Page Six hears an intriguing group vacation is afoot in Italy.
Spies say ousted CNN heavyweights Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust and Don Lemon, plus United Talent Agency super-agent Jay Sures, are all on vacation together on the tiny island enclave of Ponza, off the Italian coast.
Asked what such a cozy retreat — involving three people with axes to grind, and a lot of time on their hands, plus one of the biggest movers-and-shakers in the media biz — might mean, a source speculated bluntly: “They’re working on something.”
Lemon, of course, was stunningly booted in April after 17 years at the news network by former CEO Chris Licht as part of Licht’s failed attempt to revamp the network after he took over from Zucker.
Licht left last month, just a year into his tenure at the top of the organization.
Meanwhile, Zucker and his former executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Gollust, resigned in 2022 — after they admitted that they had failed to disclose their romantic relationship, in violation of company policy.
The trip comes amid ongoing rumors that Zucker — who remains much-loved at CNN’s Hudson Yards headquarters, and whose latest gig is buying up media companies for a venture capital firm — is quietly planning to buy the network and take it over once again.
Sources close to Zucker have repeatedly denied to Page Six that he has any such plans.
Sures — a co-head of one of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies — is Lemon’s longtime agent. Lemon also recently made headlines after he was axed from the network.
Others on the trip include sitcom guru Steven Levitan — whose credits include “Modern Family” and “Just Shoot Me!” — as well as his wife, Kristina, and Sures’ wife, Linda.
Reps for Zucker and Gollust declined to comment. Reps for Lemon couldn’t be reached, and Sures didn’t get back to us.
