Longtime CNN anchor Poppy Harlow has announced her intention to leave the cable news outlet.
Since joining CNN 16 years ago, Harlow eventually ascended to the role of morning anchor alongside Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins for CNN This Morning. The brainchild of now-departed CEO Chris Licht, the program got off to a disastrous start in the ratings before Lemon was fired in April of last year. Collins then left the program for a primetime role at the network.
Harlow was then paired with the network’s former White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly, but the pairing continued to struggle, garnering about a third of the audience of competitors Morning Joe (MSNBC) and FOX and Friends (Fox News).
In February, the network announced it was scrapping the morning program helmed by Harlow and Mattingly in favor of an expanded CNN News Central.
In a memo to staffers obtained by Vanity Fair, Harlow shared her appreciation and admiration for her longtime television home.
“When I walked in the door at CNN in 2008, I was 25 years old and had never been on live TV. Green is an understatement!” Harlow wrote. “I grew up here: as a journalist and as a person,” she added. “This place has shaped me as a leader, taught me resilience, shown me the value of perspective and how to make hard decisions.”
Poppy Harlow added that she was offered a new role at the network, but declined, leading to her departure.
“Poppy is a unique talent who combines formidable reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to,” network President and CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement. “She’s been a wonderful colleague at CNN, and we know she will have much success in her future endeavors.”
