Kate Bolduan Responds to CNN Critics on Mediaite’s The Interview: ‘Have You Ever Watched My Show?’
CNN
When Chris Licht took over CNN earlier this year, he pledged to lower the volume at a network that, under former boss Jeff Zucker, had made itself a main character in the Trump show. As part of that mandate, Licht has encouraged less polarizing, more non-partisan coverage. Few embody that vision better than Kate Bolduan, the anchor of CNN’s 11 a.m. program At This Hour.
Bolduan was a Zucker addition. She joined CNN 15 years ago, at the young age of 24, and within five years she was named co-host of New Day, Zucker’s effort to make CNN competitive in morning news. At the time she was the youngest host of a morning show on television.
In the years since, Bolduan interviewed President Barack Obama, covered midterm and presidential elections, and reported from war zones including Afghanistan.
I spoke with Bolduan for this week’s episode of The Interview. Our conversation came before CNN announced its new morning show this week.
Bolduan has made a name for herself as a tough interrogator of both Democrats and Republicans, a quality Licht is seeking in his hosts as he works to rid CNN of its reputation as a network obsessed with criticizing Trump and his supporters.
The new chapter of CNN has brought some setbacks for Bolduan. She was one of the hosts selected to launch shows on CNN+, the network’s ambitious and expensive foray into streaming — which lasted all of three weeks. Bolduan’s show, Five Things, was one of the most popular on the streaming service. That did not save it from David Zaslav, the CEO of new parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, who axed CNN+ as one of his first belt-tightening moves.
Still, Bolduan sees opportunities at this quieter new CNN.
“I like what Chris is laying out for his vision, which is stick to the news,” Bolduan said. “I’ve had multiple bosses who have appreciated my style. Does it always get you viral moments? No. But is that what we’re here for? I’m sorry. I’m not.”
Bolduan bristles at the criticism, which grew loud during the Trump administration, that CNN is a liberal outlet. She recalls a time when one of her father’s hunting buddies (Bolduan, who grew up in Indiana, joins them for duck hunting) derided CNN as a partisan network. Her reply: Do you watch my show?
“I have this frustration when people talk about the media and all of CNN,” she said. “Because if you watch my show, that’s not what I was doing in 2016 necessarily and it wasn’t what I was doing in 2020.”
“If someone comes to me and talks about what they believe is the leftward tilt of CNN, I say the same thing: Have you ever watched my show?”
We also discussed how she prepares for her show, how she felt when Jeff Zucker was ousted, and how she plans to cover the 2024 election campaign. Download the full episode here, and subscribe to The Interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
