Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly Bid Farewell to ‘CNN This Morning’ Crew in Final Show: ‘We’re Both Incredibly Proud’

Friday marked the end of the current iteration of CNN This Morning with anchors Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly, and they signed off by putting their crew front and center.

CNN announced a significant shakeup to their morning schedule earlier this month, which put a nail in the coffin of the morning show that Chris Licht launched as his biggest move at CNN. The current hosts of the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. slot, Harlow and Mattingly, will have new roles at the network as anchor Kasie Hunt takes over a new, shorter version of CNN This Morning from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. CNN News Central will take over the rest of the morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Here was the final sign-off from Mattingly and Harlow:

Mattingly: And before we go, a quick point of personal privilege, as the folks we cover on Capitol Hill might say. And the word “privilege” here, I think, is particularly apt, because that’s what it has been every day and night and very early morning to work with our extraordinary team here. To our directors, our producers, bookers, writers, editors, APs, PAs, you are the heart and soul of something for which we’re both incredibly proud. Your immeasurable talents have infused every show. Your good humor, your smiles have filled every morning, and the fact that you were willing to share that with both of us while working, let’s charitably call them less-than-ideal hours. That’s a testament to your character and explains our shared and unyielding belief in your limitless futures.

After showing some behind-the-scenes shots of the control room crew, members of the studio crew joined the anchors at the news desk as Harlow thanked them:

Harlow: Somehow, in some remarkable way… I’m the problem here. You guys have seemed to manage to keep me, mainly me, on time, in the right place at the right time. No surprise, Phil is early all the time and I’m running in at the last minute. But seriously, guys, we’d literally be nowhere without you. All while managing to crack the best jokes at the perfect time in every commercial break. As a viewer, you don’t get to see these folks. They are the real deal. They make it happen. You’ve seen their work every single morning. You and we are better for it. You are the best partner in the world, Phil Mattingly. We will see you all soon. That is it for us. Have a great weekend.

Watch the video above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet Newsletter
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!