Italian
Alisyn Camerota, whose steadying presence on air helped make her a prominent face of CNN during the first Trump administration, is leaving the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet, she disclosed via social media on Sunday.
“Big News, Everyone! — today is my last day on CNN. Tune in at 4:50p (et) for my sign off. Keep it here for updates!” she posted on Instagram.
Camerota joined CNN in 2014 after a long stint at Fox News Channel. She served more than six years as a co-anchor on “New Day,” a flagship morning program that a previous management team led by former CNN chief Jeff Zucker had hoped would be more competitive not only with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” but mainstay morning-news programs on broadcast TV, such as NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Her exit comes as CNN and corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery are said to be contemplating more job cuts as the news outlet grapples with assigning more resources to digital content under current CEO Mark Thompson.
Popular on Variety Camerota worked alongside Chris Cuomo, who developed a more aggressive and avuncular presence than morning TV had utilized in the past, but which captured attention as CNN covered Trump. Camerota became known for her ability not only to hold tough interviews with newsmakers, but to show empathy on screen in equal measure when situations required it.
“I think people are tuning in to us to see people held to account. People do like it when we hold their feet to the fire,” Camerota told Variety of her time on “New Day” in 2019. Sometimes, we have to interrupt people if they are blathering on with their talking points, but even then, our viewers expect us to get in there and stop the nonsense. I don’t wrestle with it”
She has written two books during her time at CNN. Her debut novel, “Amanda Wakes Up,” was set at a large TV-news operation, and her 2024 memoir, “Combat Love,” told the harrowing story of an unstable upbringing.
She has not been seen on screen frequently in recent months. Her husband, Tim Lewis, died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer, and Camerota revealed in September that she had taken some time to care for him in his final months.
But CNN has also seemed not do know what to do with her since she left “New Day,” which she left in 2021. Since that time, Camerota has co-anchored hours in the afternoon, anchored shows in primetime as CNN tried to introduce new programming to its schedule and worked on special reports for the weekend series “The Whole Story.”
