CNN All but Eliminates Troubled Morning Show That Was the Source of Controversy: Report
A new report claims that the troubled CNN morning show that was previously hosted by Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins is being killed off.
CNN disputed a report that claimed “CNN This Morning” was being unceremoniously axed by management in a statement that did little to evoke confidence in the unpopular show.
Page Six reported Monday that the show, which was created by ousted former CNN boss Chris Licht, was being dismantled.
The outlet reported: “Page Six hears a memo went out Monday morning announcing that early morning anchor Kasie Hunt will be given an extra hour, now under the ‘CNN This Morning’ umbrella, and that ‘CNN News Central’ — which had followed it — will move forward in the schedule to fill the gap.
“Harlow was the only member of the original team left standing.”
CNN representatives disputed the report when asked for comment, Page Six noted.
“Reps for CNN said it’s ‘inaccurate’ to say the show has been canceled, and that ‘CNN This Morning’ has simply been shortened dramatically and given a new anchor.”
Meanwhile, a report from Mediaite backed up Page Six’s reporting.
“CNN announced significant changes to its morning programming, Mediaite has learned, which will be announced internally on Monday. The changes mark the end in all but name of ‘CNN This Morning,’ the audacious breakfast show launched by former CNN chief Chris Licht,” the outlet reported.
Mediaite further reported that changes are being made because of the show’s “ratings slump” and that its New York City production team is being “disbanded.”
The memo reportedly said of those whose jobs will be affected, “[We ]will be strongly encouraging [those staffers] to apply for the many new open roles that we are making available this week in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., along with a number of other open roles in New York in other programming blocks.”
In any event, the show’s current state is most certainly not where Licht saw it ending up when he launched it in November 2022 and pulled Lemon from prime time to sit alongside Collins and Harlow.
Lemon’s presence in the mornings was a source of on-air tension, and he was ultimately fired in April of last year.
That was after he took a shot at Nikki Haley and other women over 40 when he said they were beyond their “prime” by that age.
Last July, Collins was pulled from the show and given her own prime-time show in Lemon’s old time slot.
“The Source with Kaitlan Collins” now airs at 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
Harlow still sits at the “CNN This Morning” desk alongside network anchor Phil Mattingly, but it is unclear for how much longer.
Licht, who replaced former longtime CNN President Jeff Zucker, was fired last June after he failed to bring the network back to relevancy.
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