Veteran journalist Poppy Harlow is leaving CNN after the network’s morning show was canceled amid a series of upheavals.
Harlow, 41, announced his departure Friday via email after nearly two decades with the cable news network.
“Mark, Amy and the CNN leadership team have been wonderful and given me the space to make this decision. I am very grateful to them,” Harlow wrote in the email.
“CNN has given me the opportunity to travel across this country and around the world – often in the worst of times, but when humanity also shows its best,” she continued.
Harlow served as co-host of CNN This Morning, a show that was effectively canceled in February after less than two years on the air.
Scroll down to read Harlow’s farewell email
Veteran journalist Poppy Harlow leaves CNN after network’s morning show canceled amid series of upheavals
She was paired with Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins when CNN launched its glitzy new morning show under ousted CEO Chris Licht in 2022.
Harlow joined the network in 2008, serving in various roles before being partnered with Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins when CNN launched its glitzy new morning show under ousted CEO Chris Licht in 2022.
She recently hosted alongside Phil Mattingly following Lemon’s dramatic firing and the departure of former White House correspondent Collins.
“Much has been written about issues in journalism and the challenges our industry faces. And that’s the case. But there’s also so much more to it,” Harlow wrote in the email.
“The pursuit of truth is at the heart of everything we do – it’s the heart of CNN. I remain CNN’s biggest fan and will watch and cheer for you every day.
CNN CEO Mark Thompson informed staff of his departure during the network’s 9 a.m. editorial call, shortly before the email was sent to colleagues.
Thompson called the longtime anchor “a unique talent who combines tremendous reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to.”
“She has been a wonderful colleague at CNN and we know she will be very successful in her future endeavors,” Thompson said.
CNN This Morning was effectively canceled in February after less than two years on the air
Harlow joined the network in 2008, serving in various roles before being partnered with Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins when CNN launched its glitzy new morning show under ousted CEO Chris Licht in 2022.
Lemon was fired after making a series of sexist slurs on air and insulting an alleged rape victim during an interview.
CNN This Morning premiered on November 1, 2022 – but within months it was quickly overshadowed by a multitude of scandals.
Don began to face a series of criticisms for his ranting comments and insults; Additionally, reports emerged that he had run Collins off set in tears after berating her in front of the crew and other stars.
There seemed to be hope for the show following her firing in early 2023, but the drama didn’t stop there, and CNN This Morning continued in a downward spiral that saw several more staffers bid farewell.
Collins also left the show in spring 2023 to take over the network’s popular 9 p.m. time slot left vacant by the high-profile firing of Chris Cuomo, leaving Harlow as the only member of the original trio still standing.
A source also claimed to DailyMail.com that Harlow, the only one of the three original hosts left, was “mean” to employees – and even “made people cry” – when the cameras stopped rolling, although a CNN spokesperson insisted that was the case. not the case.
Harlow recently welcomed Phil Mattingly after Lemon’s firing and the departure of Collins, a former White House correspondent.
The veteran presenter said her plan was to walk our children to school, pick them up and support the evolution of journalism.
In June 2023 – a few weeks after Collins’ departure – Licht was fired as CEO of CNN after an article in The Atlantic magazine saw more than 100 CNN employees question his ability to lead the organization to the future.
A source close to the matter told DailyMail.com that Licht was responsible, at least in part, for the demise of CNN This Morning – as they claimed he would “put people in positions they shouldn’t be” and “would lead others to failure”. .’
They described CNN This Morning’s demise as the “final” part of the “bomb” he left on the network.
“(Licht) did wrong. This is all Chris Licht’s fault, he set people up to fail and put them in positions they shouldn’t be in,” the source said.
Licht was said to have been particularly invested in the launch of CNN’s morning show, until he was replaced by former BBC boss Mark Thompson in August.
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