CNN Boss Chris Licht Announces Kaitlan Collins Will Move to Prime Time

CNN

On the heels of her performance moderating a town hall with former President Donald Trump, CNN CEO Chris Licht named Kaitlan Collins the new host of the network’s 9 p.m. hour starting in June.

Ahead of the WarnerBros. Discovery upfronts presentation, Licht officially announced that Collins, who has hosted CNN This Morning since November, would be moving to prime time.

“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,” Licht wrote in a memo to staff obtained by Mediaite.

The promotion caps off a remarkable ascent for the 31-year-old journalist, who started her career as a reporter for the Daily Caller. She moved to covering the Trump White House for the conservative blog, before she was hired by CNN. From there it was a quick rise from White House correspondent to anchor, and then under Licht an elevation to co-hosting the revamped morning show alongside Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow.

The impressive moves were seen as unsurprising within CNN, where Collins is considered one of the network’s sharpest talents.

Yet while Licht launched his morning show, he still faced a gaping hole in prime time, thanks to the departure of Chris Cuomo and Lemon’s move to mornings. Enter Collins.

Puck’s Dylan Byers was first to report that Collins would take over the hour, just hours before she hosted the town hall with Trump. The event aired to mixed reviews. Collins received praise for her handling of the poorly-behaved former president, who unleashed a furious torrent of lies, which Collins tried to dispassionately and diligently fact-check. But the format of the town hall, with its overwhelmingly pro-Trump crowd, came under fire from inside and outside CNN.

Harlow will continue to helm CNN This Morning alongside a rotating cast of CNN hosts, Licht said.

Read the full memo from Licht here:

To my CNN colleagues,

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.

Kaitlan will begin anchoring the 9pm regularly in June. In her new program, officially launching later this summer, Kaitlan will showcase why she’s one of the top reporters and interviewers in the game. She is a smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable. She pushes politicians off their talking points, gets real answers – and as everyone who’s worked with her knows – breaks a lot of news.

Every night, she’ll bring fresh reporting that adds new perspective to the biggest stories of the day. Kaitlan will expose uncovered angles and challenge conventional wisdom to make sure viewers are seeing a story from every side. When she doesn’t know the answer, she asks – and she won’t stop until she gets them.

I know there will be a lot of interest in working with Kaitlan and this new show. We will be reviewing internal candidates and opening up a nationwide search for an executive producer to work with our development team to build this program and help it take shape.

Kaitlan will transition off CNN This Morning, which will be led by Poppy Harlow alongside a rotation of CNN guest anchors. We will have more information and announcements to share in the months ahead but in the meantime CTM is in good hands with Poppy.

Please join me in congratulating Kaitlan on this exciting new role and challenge.
Chris