Don Lemon has lost his primetime show at CNN and will be moved to a new morning show amid a shakeup at the network, according to reports.
Lemon will co-host the morning show that will get a new name and a new format.
The current show is called “New Day” and it runs from 6 to 9 am.
Joining Lemon on the new show will be midmorning anchor Poppy Harlow and White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
“This demonstrates our commitment to the morning and how important it is to me,” CNN’s new boss Chris Licht said.
“The show will set the tone of the entire day, and it will set the tone for the news organization.”
Licht is still searching for a permanent host for the 9 pm role that Chris Cuomo had before he was fired and which Lemon will now vacate.
“Don has been one of my closest friends for more than a decade — there for every milestone along the way,” Harlow said.
“I’m consistently in awe of Kaitlan’s reporting and the remarkable woman she is.
“I can’t wait to laugh with them and learn from them each morning.”
Lemon said:
“I was honestly floored when Chris Licht asked me to do this, and I’m honored by his belief in me.”
Collins said:
“I can’t wait to wake with our viewers and do the news every day.
“So pour a cup of coffee and join us.”
. @donlemon, @PoppyHarlowCNN and @kaitlancollins to Anchor New CNN Morning Show Debuting Later This Year: https://t.co/pOYchw93uC pic.twitter.com/7qplGoVaCd
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) September 15, 2022
JUST IN: CNN has a new morning show. DON LEMON, KAITLAN COLLINS and POPPY HARLOW to anchor it. Debuts in Oct/Nov. Details here: https://t.co/gXuFvYkDvX
— John Koblin (@koblin) September 15, 2022
According to The New York Times:
The current morning anchors, John Berman and Brianna Keilar, will get different roles at the network.
“New Day” has the smallest viewership among the cable news channels in its time slot.
On Tuesday morning, Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” averaged more than a million viewers, and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” averaged right around a million viewers.
“New Day” drew fewer than half of that.
Mr. Licht has said that ratings are not the top priority. If CNN has a strong journalistic reputation, he can attract blue-chip advertisers, he has told associates.
