After much speculation, CNN has officially named Kaitlan Collins the new host of the network’s 9:00 PM ET program. The news was announced as part of Warner Bros. Discovery upfront event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden Wednesday morning.
“I’m very happy to let you know that Kaitlan Collins will be announced as the anchor of our 9pm hour during today’s Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation,” CNN CEO Chris Licht wrote in a memo to employees Wednesday morning.
The timeslot has been vacant since the network fired Chris Cuomo in December 2021 after it was revealed he attempted to aid his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, after he was accused of sexual misconduct by staffers.
Collins has seen her profile grow in recent months. After being tabbed to host CNN This Morning alongside Poppy Harlow and the now-departed Don Lemon, Collins was the subject of rumors of behind-the-scenes tension with Lemon. The tension reportedly boiled over during a November episode where Lemon screamed at the 31-year-old for repeatedly talking over him during the day’s show. CNN claimed the report was “overblown” by the relationship between the anchors deteriorated before Lemon’s unceremonious firing in April.
Moderating the network’s New Hampshire town hall event with former President Donald Trump also saw Collins’ star grow. Reactions to her performance were mostly mixed along party lines, with conservatives angry at her line of questioning and near-constant fact-checking of the 45th president, while messages of support and understanding came in from more liberal media members after recognizing the difficult position she was in.
A report from Puck News hours before the New Hampshire town hall claimed that Collins had been offered a new contract by CNN CEO Chris Licht to host the primetime program. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has said “this is a new CNN” after the network meandered from its traditional down-the-middle news coverage during the Trump presidency. Under Zaslav’s and Licht’s direction, the network aims to return to its strictly newsgathering and reporting roots, with Collins’ new program aiming to cement that position.
The new program anchored by Collins will begin in June. No timetable has been set on naming a replacement for the network’s morning show.
