Former “CNN This Morning” anchor Poppy Harlow parted methods with the struggling cable information community after turning down an “apparent demotion” from boss Mark Thompson, The Put up has realized.
Thompson, who took over final yr from ousted CNN chief Chris Licht, provided Harlow the position of chief enterprise correspondent and fill-in anchor after disbanding the morning present, a supply with information informed The Put up.
“After anchoring her personal present, going again to being a reporter felt like an apparent demotion,” the supply stated.
“Mark provided Poppy an attention-grabbing alternative however they didn’t see eye to eye,” the community insider stated bluntly. “Poppy is leaving on good phrases, although.”
The supply pointed to the truth that Thompson and different high brass at CNN are planning on giving Harlow a sendoff subsequent Wednesday at a restaurant close to the community’s New York workplaces in Hudson Yards.
CNN declined to remark.
A rep for Harlow didn’t return requests for remark.
Harlow, who labored at CNN for 16 years, hosted the ill-fated morning present with Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon, who was fired last year after a series of missteps — together with blowing up at Collins off camera and infamously declaring on air that Nikki Haley, then a GOP presidential candidate, was “not in her prime.”
Harlow instantly referred to as out the failed primetime host: “What are you speaking about, wait … Prime for what?”
Lemon shortly tried to avoid wasting himself by claiming he wasn’t stating his private beliefs — and that his weird rant was based mostly on details that could possibly be gleaned from an web search.
“That’s not in response to me,” he stated. “It’s like, prime. If you happen to look it up. If you happen to Google when is a lady in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s, and 40s.”
Harlow ended up storming off the set.
Lemon was briefly pulled off the air and apologized after receiving backlash. Soon after, Collins was bumped up to prime time and Lemon was fired.
Harlow was paired with Phil Mattingly, however Thompson canceled their show in February amid lackluster viewership, putting in Kasie Hunt to anchor a extra news-driven format based mostly in Washington, DC, from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
In January, “CNN This Morning” averaged 322,000 whole viewers, whereas MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” drew 988,000 and Fox’s “Fox & Buddies” pulled in 1.07 million.
The cancellation left the futures of Harlow and Mattingly in limbo. Thompson shortly discovered a gig for Mattingly as chief home correspondent, which he accepted.
The choice to develop into a enterprise reporter and substitute anchor when everlasting hosts weren’t out there didn’t sit properly with the veteran journalist, the supply stated.
Harlow had enterprise reporting chops, becoming a member of the community in 2008 as a reporter for CNNMoney.com, the community’s then-business-centric unit, however moved on to numerous beats and fill-in anchor gigs earlier than changing into a full-time anchor in 2017 when she co-hosted “CNN Newsroom” alongside Jim Sciutto.
Harlow announced her decision to leave CNN after 21 years through a memo to staffers late final month.
“After I walked within the door at CNN in 2008, I used to be 25 years outdated and had by no means been on dwell TV. Inexperienced is an understatement!,” Harlow wrote. “I grew up right here: as a journalist and as an individual.”
Harlow, 41, thanked Thompson, in addition to Amy Entelis — the manager vice chairman for expertise, CNN originals, and artistic improvement — writing that the 2 have “been fantastic and have given me the house to make this determination.”
It’s unclear whether or not Harlow will return to journalism, however she’s going to probably be within the highlight a bit longer.
She has a youngsters’s guide, “The Coloration of Love,” which she co-authored with “Saturday Right this moment” co-anchor Laura Jarrett, set to hit bookshelves on Might 14.
