Journalist Brian Stelter is returning to CNN after being laid off from the cable television network more than two years ago following major restructuring.

“Yes, I really do,” Stelter, 39, said Tuesday when he announced he will be the lead writer for CNN’s “Reliable Sources” newsletter, which he first started in 2015.

He was previously fired in August 2022 after the network’s former CEO Chris Licht ended the program “Reliable Sources,” which he had hosted since 2013. It was CNN’s longest-running show at the time of its demise.

“But this will not be a ‘Back to the Future’ remake,” Stelter wrote in the newsletter.

“The media industry has matured, CNN has evolved, and I’ve changed a lot since I left two years ago.

“I loved my old life as a Sunday morning host, but to borrow some jargon from my video game blogging days, I finished that level of the game. Time for new levels, new challenges.”

Stelter’s new job follows the departure of former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy to start his own media newsletter.

In his new role as chief media analyst, he will appear on radio, produce digital content and be responsible for the newsletter, which he claims will be “different because I am different.”

Stelter wrote that after he was fired, he changed his news habits and moved out of Manhattan to “a horse farm near one of former President Donald Trump’s golf clubs.”

“I’ve been experiencing news more like a regular consumer and in doing so, I’ve learned a lot about the attention economy and the information ecosystem,” he wrote. “I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with you.”

During his two-year absence, Stelter, who is married to NY1 anchor Jamie Stelter, wrote for various publications and even made a few appearances on CNN.

Stelter was a victim of the turmoil Licht experienced during his time at CNN, seeking to make the network more welcoming to both sides of the political spectrum after it was accused of leaning too far left during the Trump presidency.

Although CNN enjoyed high ratings during the Trump era, its ratings declined after he was out of office. Stelter’s “Reliable Sources” program was one of the lowest-rated shows in the months leading up to his resignation.

But Licht stepped down as CEO last year after a damning magazine profile angered staff and key senior figures, and was replaced by former New York Times and BBC executive Mark Thompson.