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After a combative interview with CNN host Kaitlan Collins back in 2023, President Donald Trump has held onto his sour grapes about it. However, with impending layoffs and turbulence overtaking CNN headquarters, it seems Trump may no longer have to worry about any tough questions heading his way. According to blistering reporting from Puck, CNN appears to be course-correcting in the wake of devastating ratings leading up to and during election night 2024.
Whereas there's no clear indication of who, exactly, might see their jobs disappear, there are some clues that big names like Anderson Cooper and Kaitlan Collins might have a difficult time ahead of them, especially considering the rumor that major CNN personalities like Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper have not been extended any pay raises for the foreseeable future. As things shake up, it seems on-air talent might be affected, but just what that means is still shrouded in mystery.
Kaitlan Collins & Anderson Cooper's jobs could be on the chopping block
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During the summer of 2024, CNN started to purge its roster of employees, letting go about 100 people. As of November, Chris Wallace was the first big-name at CNN to not have his contract renewed. However, there are rumblings the next round of severances will be focused more on the backend of production. This would mean that hosts such as Anderson Cooper or the notoriously leggy Kaitlan Collins might still get to appear on-air, but their workload could possibly bog them down.
If CNN were to hemorrhage production assistants, that would mean on-air talent will have to fill the gaps, meaning Collins might not have time to come up with hard-hitting questions and immaculate responses when interviewing guests. In fact, her ability to be productive at all could get caught up in the chaos.
CNN has seen its ratings run off ever since the 2020 election cycle, but it was exacerbated by CEO Mark Thompson stepping in back in 2023. Since his leadership takeover, ratings have fallen more than 20 percent, according to the Daily Mail. However, Thompson is attempting to pivot towards a more digital-friendly platform, and that might mean hiring new people in different roles. But that won't happen without a general shaking of the tree and big names like Cooper and Collins just might be on the chopping block, as well.