- The program was canceled after a series of unrest, including the dramatic firing of host Don Lemon last year
CNN This Morning was canceled just 18 months after the show began due to poor ratings and the departure of two of its anchors.
The show was canceled after a series of upheavals, including the dramatic firing of host Don Lemon last year and another host, Kaitlan Collins, becoming her own, according to Page Six.
When it launched in November 2022, CNN This Morning was envisioned as a show that would provide viewers with “accuracy” and “context” on news stories across America.
But it has been marred by scandals, including the firing of controversial presenter Lemon after he made a series of sexist insults on-air and insulted an alleged rape victim during an interview.
The dramatic exit came amid growing tensions between Lemon and his then co-host Collins after he allegedly reduced her to tears by “yelling” at her in front of the TV crew and third host Poppy Harlow.
CNN This Morning was canceled just 18 months after the show began due to poor ratings and the departure of two of its anchors, Don Lemon (pictured center) and Kaitlan Collins (pictured right).
Sources told the New York Post that Lemon, 57, exploded at Collins, 31, on Dec. 8, 2022, accusing her of interrupting him multiple times during the broadcast. Collins reportedly ran off the set in tears.
Collins also left the show in spring 2023 to take over the network's coveted 9 p.m. timeslot vacated by Chris Cuomo's high-profile firing, leaving Harlow as the only member of the original trio.
According to Page Six, the current hosts – Harlow and Phil Mattingly – will now be off the air.
This comes at a time when thousands of CNN viewers are leaving the network as recently departed CEO Chris Licht attempts to turn the network around.
Cable news ratings are down across the board compared to 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated the news, but CNN's decline is most dramatic – with a 61 percent decline in primetime viewers in March 2023.
This is breaking news. Updates to follow.