Poppy Harlow, the journalist who co-hosted CNN’s ill-fated morning program, has decided to leave the news network.
Harlow announced her departure Friday in a note to colleagues. She has been off the air since February, when the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network scrapped the format of her program, “CNN This Morning”
Harlow, 42, has about 18 months left on her contract but was unable to reach an agreement with management on a new role. Nonetheless, the parting is considered amicable, according to people familiar with the discussions.
“Poppy is a unique talent who combines formidable reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that the audiences always responded to,” said CNN Chairman Mark Thompson in a note to staff that was shared with The Times. “She’s been a wonderful colleague at CNN, and we know she will have much success in future endeavors.”
In her note, Harlow told colleagues she is “excited for what is ahead — and I will be rooting for CNN always.”
Harlow is a 16-year veteran of the network. She was tapped to join Don Lemon and Kaitlin Collins for “CNN This Morning” in December 2022.
The show, conceived under the short-lived leadership of former Chairman Chris Licht, was reportedly fraught with on-set tension. The program experienced major turmoil after Lemon remarked on the air that Republican Nikki Haley, who was running for president at the time, was “past her prime” as a woman.
Lemon was eventually fired and Collins was moved into a prime-time job. Harlow continued on the program with former CNN Washington correspondent Phil Mattingly in August. But “CNN This Morning” never gained ratings traction against cable competitors “Morning Joe” on MSNBC and “Fox & Friends” on Fox News.
Thompson, who joined CNN last fall, pulled the plug on the format.
CNN currently has Kasie Hunt anchoring two hours out of Washington under the “CNN This Morning” name. The network also moved up the start time of “CNN News Central” to 7 a.m. Eastern.
