Longtime CNN anchor Poppy Harlow announces network exit following show cancellation

CNN anchor Poppy Harlow said she is leaving the network after 16 years following the cancellation of her show, "CNN This Morning." 

Harlow made the announcement in an email to colleagues on Friday, CNN reported. 

"The nearly two decades since have been a gift," she wrote in the email. "I have been inspired by you and learned so much from you – who are (and will remain) dear friends."

Harlow, who joined the network in 2008, began hosting "CNN This Morning" alongside Kaitlan Collins and Don Lemon in 2022.

Lemon came under scrutiny for his on-air comments about former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's age, and he was fired from CNN the following year. Shortly thereafter, Harlow began co-anchoring the show with Phil Mattingly until it was canceled in February 2024.

Harlow's tenure was marked with coverage of major events such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the 2015 Paris terror attacks.

Harlow told her colleagues that in the immediate future, she plans on spending time with family.

"For now, my plan is to walk our children to school and pick them up (hopefully they won’t get sick of me!)," she wrote. "I'm excited for what is ahead – and I will be rooting for CNN always."

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