CNN announces Kaitlan Collins to take over Chris Cuomo’s former prime-time slot

Fresh off of moderating a controversial town hall with former President Donald Trump, CNN announced that Kaitlan Collins will be getting a prime-time slot on the network.

CNN revealed on Wednesday morning that the CNN This Morning host would be taking over the 9 p.m. prime-time hour starting in June.

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The slot once housed Chris Cuomo, who was axed by the network over his involvement in helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during his sexual harassment scandal.

“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!” CNN’s communications Twitter account shared.

According to a memo from Chairman and CEO of CNN Chris Licht obtained by the Washington Examiner, “Every night, she’ll bring fresh reporting that adds new perspective to the biggest stories of the day. Kaitlan will expose uncovered angles and challenge conventional wisdom to make sure viewers are seeing a story from every side. When she doesn’t know the answer, she asks – and she won’t stop until she gets them.”

The memo was sent to CNN employees on Wednesday before the move was announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront.

Licht further described the network’s rising star as a “smart and gifted journalist who we’ve all seen hold lawmakers and newsmakers accountable.”

According to the memo, Collins will be leaving her role on CNN This Morning, leaving Poppy Harlow as the only permanent host. Harlow will be joined by a rotation of CNN guest anchors after Collins’s departure.

“The new show is going to feature thoughtful perspectives, spirited conversation, and respectful debate around the day’s top news, and I will be in good company,” Collins reportedly told advertisers.

Licht also told advertisers that the network will “prioritize reporting over punditry to separate the news from the noise,” noting its “commitment to topics that matter to real people. … This broad range of essential information is always on display.”

The network has a “commitment to delivering the news truthfully, transparently, and without fear or favor,” he added.

CNN saw a ratings bump during Collins’s live town hall event with Trump last week. The event was ranked the No. 1 program on cable news for both total viewers and viewers in the 25-54 demographic, with 3.31 million and 781,000, respectively.

The increase in ratings lasted into the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours. However, the network did not see the event’s lasting effect the next day.

Despite seeing 2.1 million viewers in the 9 p.m. hour and 1.23 million in the 10 p.m. hour after Trump’s town hall on May 10, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 garnered only 616,000 viewers at 8 p.m. on May 11. Trump had brought in 3.3 million viewers the night prior.

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The 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours then saw 546,000 and 451,000 viewers, respectively.

Following the town hall, Fox News reclaimed its first-place ranking for prime-time viewership with an average of 1.69 million viewers.