CNN Swings the Axe: Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly DUMPED From Morning Show
CNN swung the axe once again this week and dumped anchors Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly from the network’s failed morning show.
Feb. 5 2024, Published 10:32 a.m. ET
CNN swung the axe once again this week and dumped anchors Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly from the network’s failed morning show, RadarOnline.com can report.
In the latest development to come amid a series of constant shake-ups taking place at the struggling news network, CNN announced that Harlow and Mattingly would no longer be co-hosting CNN This Morning.
CNN announced that Harlow and Mattingly would no longer be co-hosting "CNN This Morning."
CNN CEO Mark Thompson shared the announcement early Monday morning in a note to staffers at the network.
He announced that CNN decided to ditch CNN This Morning and that the Harlow-Mattingly team would be disbanded after the program struggled to take on similar morning shows at rival networks like Fox News and MSNBC.
“We will no longer produce morning programming in New York and will be disbanding the team that currently produces CNN This Morning in that city,” Thompson said.
“Our New York-based primetime and weekend programming will continue,” he explained.
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According to Variety, Harlow and Mattingly’s CNN This Morning will be replaced by an extra hour of Kasie Hunt’s Early Start. Hunt’s morning show will now air from 5 AM to 7 AM.
Meanwhile, CNN News Central – which is co-anchored by hosts John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner – will air from 7 AM to 10 AM.
Jim Acosta and Pamela Brown are also now set to take over the morning news hours at 10 AM and 11 AM, respectively.
CNN's decision to cancel CNN This Morning also came after the morning program repeatedly lost in the ratings when compared to other morning shows like Fox's Fox & Friends and MSNBC's Morning Joe.
Fox & Friends just closed 2023 leading the cable news morning programs with viewers aged 25-54 for the 22nd consecutive year, while MSNBC’s Morning Joe has been a consistent second in the cable news morning show ratings since its launch in 2007.
2024 to date, Fox & Friends reportedly more than tripled CNN This Morning with viewers and more than doubled the failed program in the 25-54 age demographic.
CNN's decision to disband "CNN This Morning" came nearly one year after the network axed Don Lemon.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, CNN’s decision to disband CNN This Morning this week came after several dramatic shake-ups in connection to the program’s ill-fated lineup.
Although the show initially featured Harlow, Don Lemon, and Kaitlan Collins when it first premiered in November 2022, Harlow was the only co-host to remain on the program until it was abruptly disbanded on Monday morning.
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Lemon was suddenly removed from CNN This Morning and ultimately fired from the network altogether in April 2023 following several on-air and behind-the-scenes issues.
“Don will forever be a part of the CNN family, and we thank him for his contributions over the past 17 years,” then-CNN CEO Chris Licht said in a memo to staffers on April 24.
Kaitlan Collins left "CNN This Morning" last year to host her own show during the 9 PM primetime hour.
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The Source with Kaitlan Collins launched on July 10, 2023 and Mattingly ultimately took over her co-anchor role alongside Harlow on CNN This Morning.
The current iteration of CNN This Morning will reportedly end its run sometime in the coming weeks. Harlow and Mattingly are expected to be assigned to new roles elsewhere with the network.
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