CNN
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Poppy Harlow, the longtime CNN anchor who most recently co-hosted “CNN This Morning,” announced Friday that she will be leaving the network.
“The nearly two decades since then have been a gift,” Harlow wrote in an email to colleagues. “I have been inspired by you and learned a lot from you – who are (and will remain) dear friends. »
“I grew up here: as a journalist and as a person,” Harlow added. “I was allowed to stumble, falter, and then try again thanks to the support and care of this CNN family. This place shaped me as a leader, taught me resilience, showed me the value of perspective and how to make tough decisions.
Mark Thompson, CNN’s chief executive, praised Harlow as a “unique talent who combines tremendous reporting and interviewing prowess with a human touch that audiences have always responded to.”
“She has been a wonderful colleague at CNN and we know she will be very successful in her future endeavors,” Thompson said.
Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content, also congratulated Harlow in a statement, saying she “leaves CNN after more than 16 memorable years, thousands of hours as an anchor and hundreds of stories on field”.
“Poppy is a brilliant journalist who sets the standard for reporting with compassion and humanity, and she will be missed,” Entelis said.
Harlow joined CNN in 2008 and has held various positions within the network. During her tenure, she covered some of the most important and consequential stories around the world, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.
Harlow, who has a background in business journalism, hosted the podcast “Boss Files” and has also regularly invited notable executives for interviews, including Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill and Melinda Gates, Susan Wojcicki, Jamie Dimon and others.
In 2022, then-CNN chief Chris Licht tapped Harlow to help revive the network’s flagship morning show. Harlow became co-host with Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon. The show, however, struggled to capture an audience and behind-the-scenes drama fueled tabloid headlines. Lemon was eventually fired from the network and Collins was brought in to lead a one-man prime-time show.
Thompson, after succeeding Licht, announced in February that he would reconfigure CNN’s morning lineup. “CNN This Morning” changed timeslots and moved to Washington, D.C., where it is now hosted by Kasie Hunt.
The morning show’s new lineup left Harlow without an anchor spot. CNN engaged in discussions with Harlow, but she ultimately decided to leave the network.
In her email to colleagues, Harlow said that for the immediate future, she looked forward to spending more time with her family.
“For now, my plan is to accompany our children to school and pick them up (I hope they don’t get tired of me!), and to support the evolution of journalism in any way I can possible, while preserving humanity. in,” Harlow wrote. “I’m excited about what lies ahead – and I will always support CNN.”
