Poppy Harlow Future at CNN 'Uncertain' as She Continues Negotiations After Being Dumped From Morning Show, Co-workers Disdain Exposed
Insiders said that Mattingly is "widely admired" by his colleagues, while Harlow apparently has a "mixed reputation" inside CNN as she has been labeled "exacting" or "rough on the furniture" by critics.
Feb. 8 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
CNN announced a plan to overhaul its entire slate of morning programming to reestablish viewership after ratings failed to meet the mark, and the sudden shakeup has led to jitters behind the scenes as staffers gear up for more changes, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Some of those employees most impacted include Phil Mattingly and Poppy Harlow following the announcement the duo would be vacating their roles as hosts of CNN This Morning to focus on new roles, for which they are claimed to still be negotiating.
Both of their futures at the network are up in the air, and to make matters worse, Mattingly had just uprooted his wife and four children to the New Jersey suburbs from Washington months ago in August, according to a report from Puck News.
Insiders said that Mattingly is "widely admired" by his colleagues, while Harlow has a "mixed reputation" inside CNN as she has been labeled "exacting" or "rough on the furniture" by critics.
Former Chris Licht previously centered CNN This Morning around veteran anchors Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, and now-primetime sensation Kaitlan Collins, but it will now have a revamped look with a fresh home in Washington, D.C., where it will be anchored by Kasie Hunt from 5 AM to 7 AM instead of the former 6 AM to 9 AM ET slot.
Reps for the network insisted CNN This Morning had simply been shortened, not axed. "What we are announcing today is a change in strategic direction and not a reflection on the talent, expertise, and dedication," a CNN spox said.
Poppy Harlow's future at CNN was left "uncertain" after a programming shakeup announced last month.
Despite Licht's efforts to bring "accuracy and context" to viewers, the show that launched in Nov. 2022 garnered lackluster ratings in addition to a number of negative reports detailing tensions between the stars.
Plus, there was the final coups de grâce with the dramatic firing of Lemon last year that likely attributed to current CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson's decision to to "reshape how we approach mornings on domestic cable."
Former Chris Licht previously centered 'CNN This Morning' around veteran anchors Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, and now-primetime sensation Kaitlan Collins.
Thompson's announcement "stimulated the latent anxieties of the network's linear natives," per the report, which stated that Thompson broke the news to Mattingly and Harlow over the weekend about his plans.
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Licht was fired after just 13 months and Thompson has since taken over his role.
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Former BBC boss Thompson notably took over for Licht in August.
After the latest shakeup, "This feels like a retrenchment," one veteran CNN producer claimed, explaining it seemed to be "a return to the old CNN of the '80s and '90s" amid concerns that viewership could dip even more if they don't play their cards right.
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