CNN anchor Poppy Harlow announced Friday she is departing the network after 16 years.
Harlow decided to leave the network two months following the cancellation of “CNN This Morning,” the program she originally co-hosted with colleagues Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon, according to CNN. She made her decision after undergoing negotiations with network executives.
She informed her colleagues of her departure Friday morning in a lengthy statement praising the network, according to the outlet.
“When I walked in the door at CNN in 2008, I was 25 years old and had never been on live TV,” Harlow said in a note to her colleagues. “Green is an understatement! I passed those three iconic red letters in the hall on day one and thought how lucky I was to be here. The nearly two decades since have been a gift. I have been inspired by you and learned so much from you – who are (and will remain) dear friends. I grew up here: as a journalist and as a person. I was allowed to stumble, to falter, and then to try again with the support and care of this CNN family. This place has shaped me as a leader, taught me resilience, shown me the value of perspective and how to make hard decisions.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon, and Poppy Harlow attend the 16th annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on December 11, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)
She further noted she “loved every moment” at CNN in a statement on Twitter.
Loved every moment @cnn ❤️ https://t.co/x24nLB4b90
— Poppy Harlow (@PoppyHarlowCNN) April 26, 2024
Harlow said she plans to stay home with her children and “support the evolution of journalism,” according to CNN. (RELATED: Two More CNN Employees Depart The Network)
Poppy Harlow speaks onstage at the Mainstage Talk: Ending the Stigma: From Silence to Solutions during Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival 2023 at Hudson Yards on October 10, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)
The veteran anchor originally began co-hosting “CNN This Morning” at the behest of former CNN President Chris Licht, which soon witnessed a debacle behind the scenes. The network fired Lemon in April 2022 after causing major controversy over his remark about former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being “past her prime.” Licht soon picked Collins to independently host a primetime show during the 9 p.m. time slot in May.
CNN chief domestic affairs correspondent Phil Mattingly replaced Collins and Lemon as Harlow’s co-host.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: Poppy Harlow attends the 2023 TIME100 Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 25, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for TIME)
CNN chief executive Mark Thompson rearranged the programming in February by moving the show’s studio production to Washington D.C., where it has since been hosted by host Kasie Hunt, CNN reported.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 12: CNN broadcast journalist Poppy Harlow arrives at the Semafor World Economic Summit on April 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. The event features interviews with business and government leaders discussing the global economy and financial markets. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Longtime CNN personality John Avlon left the network in February and entered his bid in a New York congressional race as a Democrat. Licht canceled the network’s longest-running program, “Reliable Sources” in Aug. 2022, leading former host Brian Stelter to depart the network. White House correspondent John Harwood also left CNN abruptly as Licht attempted to make the network’s coverage more politically biased.
Executives fired Licht from his position in June, and two top communications executives left CNN the same day.