CNN host Don Lemon will move to mornings later this year, ending his prime-time show Don Lemon Tonight.
Lemon will join hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins in debuting a new morning show, replacing current New Day hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar, according to a press release by CNN.
BRIAN STELTER’S CNN SHOW RELIABLE SOURCES CANCELED BY NETWORK
The move, announced Thursday, is the network’s biggest programming shake-up since CNN executive Chris Licht took his position in May.
Licht said Lemon, Collins, and Harlow are each “uniquely intelligent, reliable, and compelling,” which will make for a “refreshing” way to begin the morning.
“There is no stronger combination of talent than Don, Poppy, and Kaitlan to deliver on our promise of a game-changing morning news program,” Licht said in the press release.
Lemon said in a statement that the last eight years have been “an incredible ride.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with one of the best show teams in the business, but it’s time to shake things up. … I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this, and I’m honored by his belief in me,” he said. “Set your alarms folks because we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Changes to CNN’s programming have been frequent for the last few months. John Harwood left his position as CNN’s White House correspondent at the beginning of September. CNN canceled Brian Stelter’s Reliable Sources show in mid-August and let Stelter go after he had worked there since 2013. CNN legal correspondent Jeffrey Toobin also left the network in early August after 20 years.
CNN has come under scrutiny lately for anchors’ sudden shifts in tone when discussing President Joe Biden or becoming less critical of former President Donald Trump and right-leaning media, such as Fox News.
Keilar recently tweeted with disapproval over Biden’s use of a dark-red background and U.S. Marines during his prime-time speech last week.
Whatever you think of this speech the military is supposed to be apolitical. Positioning Marines in uniform behind President Biden for a political speech flies in the face of that. It’s wrong when Democrats do it. It’s wrong when Republicans do it.
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) September 2, 2022
Several current and former CNN employees told the Washington Post that they are interpreting the mass employee exodus and programming changes as a sign that Licht is moving the network to present a “new, ideologically neutral CNN.”
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However, CNN wrote in a statement to the Hill last week denying that the changing atmosphere is pulling the network to a left, right, or centrist position.
“We are entirely focused on our core strength and mission — objective journalism, presented in a fair and compelling way,” CNN said. “We will continue to acknowledge different worldviews and experiences. We will always stand up for democracy and call out lies — regardless of their origin. That is not centrism, that is journalism.”
