What Happened to Poppy Harlow? Here's Why You Haven't Seen the News Anchor on CNN
"We will see you all soon. That is it for us. Have a great weekend,” Poppy Harlow signed off on her last broadcast of CNN This Morning.
Feb. 27 2024, Updated 11:56 a.m. ET
Amid a period of several shake-ups over at CNN, viewers are wondering what's going on with longtime network news anchor Poppy Harlow and where they can find her on their screens.
Below, we take a look at the recent changes at the cable news giant and what happened to Poppy Harlow.
What happened to Poppy Harlow?
On Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, Poppy and her CNN This Morning co-anchor Phil Mattingly signed off the program for the last time.
The hosts both thanked the crew for all their hard work.
Poppy told them: "As a viewer, you don’t get to see these folks. They are the real deal. They make it happen. You’ve seen their work every single morning. You and we are better for it. You are the best partner in the world, Phil Mattingly. We will see you all soon. That is it for us. Have a great weekend.”
But rest assured, Poppy and Phil are still employed by CNN, according to AZCentral.com — though it's currently unclear in what capacity.
Poppy initially joined CNN This Morning back in 2022 alongside then-co-hosts Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins. Following low ratings, bad chemistry, and an on-air gaff on Don's part (when he said Nikki Haley was past her "prime"), the network fired Don and reworked the show. By August 2023, Phil had become Poppy's full-time co-host.
Poppy Harlow previously co-anchored 'CNN Newsroom,' but took a break to pursue a law degree.
In August 2021, Poppy told CNN Newsroom viewers that she would be working toward a degree of Master of Studies in Law at Yale University, taking a much-deserved leave of absence after being with CNN for more than a decade.
"Starting next week, I will be taking a break from being with you every morning on this show so that I can go back to school. Yes, school! I'm going to study law for a Master's degree," she stated publicly. "It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. And if this year and a half has taught me anything, it is, why not try!"
Two specific people inspired Poppy, a Columbia grad, to return to higher education, one being her father, and the other being the late, great Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Poppy Harlow's father, James Harlow, was an intellectual property litigator who sparked a budding interest in law in his daughter.
"As a little girl I would sit with him at the kitchen table and he would take apart a camera or a printer and say 'Look, Poppy, this is where they infringed a patent,'" she remembered. "'This is why we're going to court.'" He passed away when Poppy was just 15 years old.
As for Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Poppy felt particularly influenced after interviewing the feminist legend in 2018. She recalled her saying "You can't have it all at once, but you can at different times."
Poppy went on to quote RBG, "If you have a caring partner, you help that other person when they need it."
She then thanked her husband "who's about to take on a lot," as well as her supportive bosses.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Poppy Harlow in 2018.
Poppy completed her M.S.L. degree in 2022.
As viewers wait to see what comes next for the CNN star, fans have sent her well wishes on social media.
"You rocked the morning show! ☀️Best wishes on your future endeavors," wrote one fan on Instagram.
Another wrote: "You brought light, wisdom, and humor to the start of my day."
