By foregrounding the private costs of the job at the start of the letter, Owens was making explicit that his departure was no ordinary career move: It was a ritual self-sacrifice designed to get the attention of his superiors and shame them into righting a great wrong. Owens was killing his career to make a point.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this."