CNN Promotes Kaitlan Collins to Prime Time Slot

Kaitlan Collins, the CNN anchor who moderated the network’s recent town hall with former President Donald Trump, will take over as host of its 9 p.m. hour starting in June, network boss Chris Licht said in an email to staff Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal reports Collins’s new program, which will officially launch this summer, will include reporting and perspective on major news stories, Licht said in the email.

The 31-year-old Collins has emerged as a rising star at CNN. Her appointment is Licht’s latest attempt to reshape the network’s programming since he became the network’s chief executive a little over a year ago. During the past three years, Collins has served as the network’s chief White House correspondent, morning show anchor and now prime-time host. 

Just announced at #WBDUpfront: @KaitlanCollins is the new anchor of CNN’s 9pm hour. In her new program, officially launching later this summer, Kaitlan will bring fresh reporting that adds new perspective to the biggest stories of the day. Join us in congratulating Kaitlan! pic.twitter.com/RRv8QaJE6c

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 17, 2023

“She is a smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable,” Licht said in the email. “She pushes politicians off their talking points, gets real answers—and as everyone who’s worked with her knows—breaks a lot of news.”

Licht also said that CNN will consider internal candidates and undergo a nationwide search for an executive producer for Collins’s new program. Collins will transition from “CNN This Morning,” a program she currently hosts with co-anchor Poppy Harlow. A rotation of different anchors will take her place during the transition, Licht said. 

The May 10 town hall with Trump was a big moment for Collins, who was put in front of a sizable television audience to spar with Trump as a crowd of more than 300 people, which included likely Republican primary voters, often cheered on the former president. 

The town hall was watched by 3.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen data provided by CNN, much higher than CNN’s typical average in prime time but smaller than the audience for major political debates.