CNN prodigy Kaitlan Collins will host a bewildered network next week at 9pm, sparking speculation that she may have a career change in her future.
CNN, which usually co-hosts the rating-challenged “CNN This Morning” with Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, will lock in the coveted primetime slot starting Monday, CNN said in a post. confirmed.
A spokesperson for the network added that Collins will be hosting Monday through Thursday and possibly Friday.
A source close to Collins denied the move was a “trial run” to helm the 9 p.m. show permanently, but another insider said “anything is possible.”
“I think it’s safe to say that Chris Licht and management were impressed,” said a source close to network boss Licht.
“She’s his favourite,” another source added, noting that Collins quickly became CNN’s “It girl,” frustrating some network veterans, including Lemon.
Collins’ primetime stint was previously reported From media news site Puck.
Lemon, who was moved to the morning show after Licht canceled the 10pm program, has been embroiled in a lot of bad press over his difficult behavior.
After a tense broadcast, Lemon yelled at Collins in December, rattling staff and upsetting his upper echelons. The outspoken anchor provoked outrage when he declared.
This week, a Variety report revealed decades of allegations of disrespectful and “diva-like” behavior often directed at female colleagues.
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Collins, 31, had previously filled the prime-time slot, previously under the helm of disgraced former anchor Chris Cuomo, who will help his then-New York brother in late 2021. fired from a struggling cable news outfit after being informed that Gov. Andrew Cuomo fights sexual harassment allegations by former aide.
Licht has since appointed a rotating lineup of anchors to kick off a weekly 9 p.m. show, likely anchored by CBS star Gayle King and possibly former NBA star Charles Barkley. is planning
When Collins docked for prime time last Wednesday and Friday, she managed to keep the audience on track following Anderson Cooper’s 8 p.m. programme. Last Wednesday, Collins’ total viewership was at her 567,000 and Cooper’s at her 665,000. Both shows were her third behind Fox News at number one and her MSNBC at number two.
For her special news coverage of the indictment of former President Donald Trump, Collins garnered 1.8 million viewers, trailing Fox News’ “Hanity” with 4 million and Rachel Maddow’s report on MSNBC with 2.8 million.
Meanwhile, “CNN This Morning” continues to drop in ratings, and an insider tells The Post that eventually Licht will have to adjust the anchor lineup again if things don’t turn around.
“CNN This Morning” averaged 359,000 viewers in the first quarter, but when you factor in simulcasts on CNN sister station HLN, that show jumps to a total of 438,000 viewers.
By comparison, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” averaged 846,000 total viewers, while Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” broadcast took the lead with an average of 1.21 million viewers.
