CNN picked former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins to permanently host the vacant 9 p.m. time slot over a year after the network fired her predecessor, Chris Cuomo.
CNN President Chris Licht confirmed Collins’ new role in a memo sent to staff Wednesday, announcing she will host the time slot regularly in June, The New York Times reported.
“In her new program, officially launching later this summer, Kaitlan will showcase why she’s one of the top reporters and interviewers in the game,” Licht wrote. “She is a smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable. She pushes politicians off their talking points, gets real answers—and as everyone who’s worked with her knows—breaks a lot of news.”
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
Collins will expectedly “expose uncovered angles” and ensure viewers see all sides of the story, Licht said in the memo. (RELATED: REPORT: CNN Star Considers Resigning From Network After Melting Down About Trump Town Hall)
She will depart from her current position on “CNN This Morning,” the morning program which is to be hosted by co-anchor Poppy Harlow and a rotation of guest anchors. The network fired the program’s previous co-anchor, Don Lemon, in April.
The network’s executives are currently searching for candidates to serve as the show’s executive producer to work with the development team, according to the memo.
Collins recently interviewed former President Donald Trump in the highly rated Republican Presidential town hall which aired May 10. She clashed with the former president over his 2020 presidential election fraud claims and as he doubled down on storing over 300 classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago home.
Collins worked at the Daily Caller as a reporter and later a White House correspondent from 2014 to 2017. She then joined CNN in 2017 where she has served as a White House correspondent and anchor.