Roland Martin out at CNN

TV1's Roland Martin and I at the Roland Martin St. Jude Inauguration Ball and Fund Raiser

Story by Politico
Written by Dylan Byers

CNN spokesperson Edie Emery confirms that Roland Martin's contract will end in the first week of April.

CNN analyst Roland Martin says that he is leaving the network on April 6 due to a decision made by new president Jeff Zucker -- an announcement that the network has yet to confirm.

"Last day at @cnn is April 6," Martin wrote on Twitter this morning. In response to a question from a follower regarding the decision, Martin wrote, "new boss wants his own peeps."

Martin did not immediately respond to request for comment. CNN spokespeople also did not respond to a request for confirmation.

Martin, also a syndicated columnist and analyst for TV One, was suspended from the network last year after writing controversial tweets that were interpreted as homophobic by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Martin emails POLITICO:

[My] agents notified me that they had been informed that at the conclusion of the two month extension granted in February, my last day at CNN would be April 6.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my little over six years there. There are many folks I will miss dearly, especially wonderful colleagues like Josanne Lopez, Soledad O'Brien, Ali Velshi, and so many bookers and producers.

But I also miss the folks I tried to speak for and represent the most when I was on the air: the men and the women who worked on the crew; the security guards; and even the janitorial workers. Those were the people I most spoke for; those were the people who would cheer me on as I walked down the streets, in the grocery store; and at airports.

I have had the likes of Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and others in sports and entertainment thank me for being an unwavering and unapologetic voice of truth, and unwilling to back down when someone needed to stand up.

Before I signed with CNN, I sat in the lobby of 1 Time Warner Center and said, "God, if it's your will to be here, then so be it.' I said the same these last two months.

I've worked hard to ensure that my voice wasn't heard in one place. I will continue with my show on TV One, a network I was with before CNN; will continue my daily segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show; and will continue my nationally syndicated column.

In my final days at CNN when I'm on the air, I will to do as the Tuskegee Airmen did, fight to the last hour, last minute, last second, for what is right. And I will do that as long as there is breath in my body.