Another important member of CNN’s staff has departed. The network has announced that anchor Poppy Harlow is leaving. Harlow said that spending time with her family is currently her priority, even though she hasn’t revealed the exact reason behind her departure.
During Friday, April 26’s 9 a.m. editorial call, CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced to other stakeholders. In an email full of sincere reflections about her time with Cable News Network, Poppy Harlow did her bit. She reflected on the almost twenty years of travel that had enabled her to further the interests of journalism and mankind at large. don’t miss:- Pitbull Announces Party After Dark Tour With T-Pain as Special Guest: See All the Dates in 2024
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Poppy Harlow reflects on time with CNN
The prominent news network has terminated the employment of the 41-year-old anchor. Following CEO Thompson’s announcement of her leaving, Poppy Harlow thanked her coworkers in an email. She expressed her gratitude to him, producer Amy Entelis, and the CNN staff for being “wonderful” and allowing her the freedom to “make this decision.” “They have my sincere gratitude,” Harlow said.
The CNN This Morning host, who is 25 years old, began working for the network in 2008 and has covered several significant issues over 16 years, including the Wall Street financial crises and the 2013 and 2015 Boston Marathon bombings. The seasoned journalist’s decision to depart from CNN was made many months after the company fired former CEO Chris Licht in June 2023. Don Lemon, an anchor, departed the network in the same year.
Harlow continued to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of contemporary journalism, emphasizing that “the pursuit of truth” is the “core of CNN.” She said, “I’m still CNN’s biggest fan, and I’ll be watching and supporting you daily.” Green is an understatement! She wrote in her departure note, thanking CNN for allowing her to tour the globe and “shape” her as a leader. On my first day here, I was struck by the three famous red letters in the hallway and felt quite fortunate to be here.
CEO Thompson and producer Entelis lauded Harlow for her persistent work at CNN in their official statements regarding her departure.
Why did Poppy Harlow leave CNN?
With former CEO Licht in charge, CNN hoped to revitalize its morning lineup. According to a CNN story, Harlow was required to co-host CNN This Morning with broadcasters Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon. Regretfully, after taking over the network in February 2024, Thompson, the new CEO, decided to stop the show.
It’s said that the show didn’t draw in enough viewers. CNN This Morning shifted to a later time slot and was broadcast from Washington, D.C. Kasie Hunt is the new host. CNN fired host Lemon, and Collins was given a prime-time slot on a solo basis starting at 9 p.m.
Unfortunately, this morning’s cancellation left Harlow without a project. The seasoned anchor thought it was time to go on to the next adventure, despite CNN’s best efforts to keep her in check. The Yale University alumna revealed that walking her kids to and from school and encouraging the “evolution of journalism” was her near future aim.
Poppy Harlow announces she will exit CNN after nearly two decades
The longtime CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, who most recently co-hosted “CNN This Morning,” made her departure from the network known on Friday.
“The almost twenty years that have passed have been a blessing,” Harlow emailed coworkers. “You are (and will continue to be) dear friends; I have learned so much from you and have been inspired by you.”
As a journalist and a person, I grew up here, Harlow continued. “I was given the space and care of this CNN family to err, to falter, and then to try again. This place has helped me become a stronger leader, resilient, appreciate perspective, and learn how to make difficult decisions.
As a “unique talent who combines formidable reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to,” CNN CEO Mark Thompson lauded Harlow.
Thompson remarked, “We know she will have much success in her future endeavours. She’s been a wonderful colleague at CNN.”
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Executive vice president of Talent and Content Amy Entelis, in a statement, commended Harlow even further, noting that she “leaves CNN after more than 16 memorable years, thousands of hours in the anchor chair and hundreds of reports from the field.”
Entelis remarked, “We will miss Poppy; she is a brilliant journalist who sets the standard for reporting with compassion and humanity.”
Harlow began working for CNN in 2008 and held several positions there. She covered some of the biggest and most important news topics throughout her tenure, such as the 2015 Paris terror attacks and the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
Harlow, who has experience in business journalism, presented the podcast “Boss Files” and frequently secured interviews with high-profile business executives, such as Jamie Dimon, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill and Melinda Gates, Susan Wojcicki, and Warren Buffet.
The network’s flagship morning show was relaunched in 2022 with Harlow’s assistance, according to an initiative by then-CNN executive Chris Licht. Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon, and Harlow were added as co-hosts. Tabloid headlines were fed by behind-the-scenes intrigue, and the show struggled to draw in an audience. After Lemon’s termination from the network, Collins took over as the head of a stand-alone prime-time program.
In February, Thompson declared he would reorganize CNN’s morning schedule following his takeover from Licht. In addition to shifting times, “CNN This Morning” relocated to Washington, D.C., and is currently hosted by Kasie Hunt.
Harlow was left without an anchor position in the new morning program roster. Although Harlow and CNN had conversations, she eventually decided to leave the network.
Harlow stated that she is looking forward to spending more time with her family in the near future in an email to her coworkers.
“At this time, I intend to walk our kids to school and pick them up (I hope they won’t grow tired of me!), and to contribute in any manner I can to the advancement of journalism while retaining its human element,” Harlow wrote. “I’m looking forward to what lies ahead, and I will always support CNN.”
