Celebrity Mound

CNN host Lou Dobbs says he is leaving CNN effective immediately.

The longtime host of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” said Wednesday on his show that it would be his last. He said CNN had allowed him to be released from his contact, which would enable him “to pursue new opportunities.”

He said he was considering a number of options.

The longest-running anchor on CNN’s air, Dobbs was one of the nation’s leading financial journalists before turning his program in a more opinionated direction. His persistent advocacy against illegal immigration angered many.