Latest news with #CNNThisMorningWeekend
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Quitting CNN Anchor Tells Colleagues to Keep Speaking Out
Amara Walker shared a goodbye message during her last broadcast as a CNN anchor, telling colleagues and viewers to 'speak up' and use their voices. The Emmy winner and host of CNN This Morning Weekend told Deadline last week that she is taking 'a hiatus from TV news' after more than a decade on air. And during her final broadcast on Sunday she teased her next adventure, as well as thanking her viewers. 'Today marks the end of my 10-year run at CNN,' she said, before imploring the prompter operator to move the text. Walker said her time at the network has been an 'incredible privilege,' and commended her team's commitment to journalism. Walker—who also hosted CNN Newsroom on CNN Max and CNN International—then got deep, touching on her Korean heritage and reminding colleagues and viewers that their 'voice matters,' in a veiled swipe at President Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 'And thank you to the CNN leadership, past and present, who supported me along the way for opening the door to this daughter of Korean immigrants who was often reminded through life that she was different and that she didn't belong. She does belong. And so do you.' Walker's rallying cry continued: 'No matter what you see happening around you, don't let anyone make you believe otherwise. I am deeply proud to have been the only Asian American anchor on a daily news program at CNN for quite some time. Your voice matters, so speak up. You will be hearing from me and seeing me soon.' Taking to X after the live broadcast, Walker shared a clip of her farewell message and wrote rather cryptically: 'Today marks a new beginning, after a 10 year run at CNN. It has been a privilege. Can't wait to share my next adventure. Stay tuned…' Walker said last week that she is 'a journalist at heart' but has 'other professional passions' that she has not been able to pursue given her 'full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule.' She remarked, 'Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing on the cake. I felt this is the right time to take this step.' She and her colleagues won the award for their coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Walker joins anchor Jim Acosta in leaving the network, after he was removed from CNN's 10 a.m. time slot. In Acosta's final broadcast, he warned listeners not to fall for Trump's 'lies.'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Another CNN Anchor Quits to Seize ‘Moment of Change' in Media
Anchor Amara Walker announced on Thursday that she is leaving CNN to 'seize on this moment of change in our industry.' The Emmy winner and host of CNN This Morning Weekend told Deadline that she is taking 'a hiatus from TV news' after more than a decade on air. Her decision follows anchor Jim Acosta's move to leave the network after he was removed from CNN's 10 a.m. timeslot. In Acosta's final broadcast, he warned listeners not to fall for President Donald Trump's 'lies.' Former Meet the Press host and fellow Trump critic Chuck Todd also announced last week that he is leaving his network, NBC, after 2 decades. Walker, who also hosts CNN Newsroom on CNN Max and CNN International, said she is 'a journalist at heart' but has 'other professional passions' that she has not been able to pursue given her 'full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule.' Walker remarked, 'Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing on the cake. I felt this is the right time to take this step.' She and her colleagues won the award for their coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. A CNN spokesperson congratulated Walker on her 'more than 10-year distinguished and award-winning career at CNN. ... She's been a wonderful and deeply respected colleague at CNN. We know she will continue to find success in her new pursuits.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amara Walker Departing CNN as Anchor and Correspondent
CNN is losing another longtime news anchor. Amara Walker, co-anchor of CNN This Morning Weekend, is leaving after more than a decade with the network, TVLine has confirmed. More from TVLine Jim Acosta Confirms CNN Exit Amid Trump's Second Term, Tells Viewers 'It Is Never a Good Time to Bow Down to a Tyrant' Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room Moving to CNN's Daytime Schedule - What Does It Mean for Jim Acosta? Ralph Fiennes' 'Very Demure, Very Mindful' Monologue Delights CNN NYE Hosts Andy and Anderson - WATCH 'In Amara's more than 10-year distinguished and award-winning career at CNN, she has helmed numerous breaking news stories from the anchor desk and reported from the field on major events across the U.S,' a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to TVLine. 'She's been a wonderful and deeply respected colleague at CNN. We know she will continue to find success in her new pursuits.' 'I've decided to seize on this moment of change in our industry and take a hiatus from TV news,' Walker added in a statement to Deadline, which broke the news of her departure. 'I'm a journalist at heart, but I have other professional passions as well. The timing couldn't be better to embark on the next chapter. I have other professional goals that I haven't been able to pursue given my full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule. I'm excited about all that is to come and the opportunities that lie ahead.' Walker joined the cable network in 2013 as an anchor for CNN International and hosts CNN Newsroom for CNN Max, alongside CNN This Morning Weekend. Throughout her career as a correspondent, Walker has covered a number of international crises and breaking news events around the world. In 2024, she won an Emmy for her coverage on the Israel-Hamas war and said to Deadline it was the 'icing on the cake' in her decision to step back from CNN. Walker co-hosted CNN This Morning Weekend with Victor Blackwell, but plans for her potential replacement have yet to be announced. Along with Walker, Jim Acosta also confirmed his departure from CNN after Wolf Blitzer's long-running evening program, The Situation Room, took over his morning CNN Newsroom time slot. Will still be on your watchlist without Walker? Drop your comments below. Your February Streaming Guide Is Here! View List Best of TVLine The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CNN Anchor and Correspondent Amara Walker to Exit
'CNN This Morning Weekend' co-anchor Amara Walker is leaving the news network after more than a decade. In a Thursday statement, Walker said she decided to 'seize on this moment of change in our industry and take a hiatus from TV news.' 'I'm a journalist at heart, but I have other professional passions as well. The timing couldn't be better to embark on the next chapter,' she added. 'I have other professional goals that I haven't been able to pursue given my full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule. I'm excited about all that is to come and the opportunities that lie ahead.' 'In my 10 years with CNN, I've had the privilege of working on nearly all of its platforms, as an anchor for CNN, CNN International and CNN Max, and also as a correspondent,' Walker continued. 'Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing on the cake. I felt this is the right time to take this step.' Walker first joined CNN in 2013 as an as anchor for CNN International, where she distinguished herself as one of the lead breaking news anchors having covered a number of live major international news events. She anchored the network's coverage of the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela and the large-scale demonstrations against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong in June 2019. She also was live on the air as a fire ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in April 2019 and led the network's initial coverage of the Ottawa shootings in 2014 at the Canadian Parliament, which was simulcast on CNN and CNN International. Other major live events Walker has covered include the truck terrorist attacks in Nice, France, and the Berlin Christmas market in 2016, the 2017 Las Ramblas van attack in Barcelona, the attempted coup in Turkey in 2016, the 2015 deaths of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, the death of Ariel Sharon, the South Korea Sewol ferry disaster, the historic double canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the referendum in Crimea, which led to Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian region. She was also live on the air as security forces stormed Kiev's Independence Square, which ultimately led to the crisis in Ukraine. As a correspondent, Walker reported on the 2021 Atlanta spa massacre and subsequent outcry from the Asian-American community against the increasing hate and racist incidents due to misplaced blame for the COVID-19 pandemic and Donald Trump's rhetoric. She also co-hosted the primetime special 'Afraid: Fear in America's Communities of Color' with Anderson Cooper, Victor Blackwell and Ana Cabrera. Walker was also part of the the 2020 presidential election night team covering Trump's repeated attacks against the Georgia Secretary of State baselessly claiming fraud. Her subsequent reports focused on the investigations into Trump's phone call pressuring the Secretary to 'find' more votes after his loss to Joe Biden. She also reported on the presidential vote recount in Georgia. She was nominated for an Emmy award for her breaking news coverage of the Manchester Arena bombing attack during an Ariana Grande concert in 2017. In 2024, she was awarded an Emmy for her breaking news coverage of the Israel-Hamas War, after Oct. 7, 2023. 'In Amara's more than 10-year distinguished and award-winning career at CNN, she has helmed numerous breaking news stories from the anchor desk and reported from the field on major events across the U.S.,' a CNN spokesperson told TheWrap. 'She's been a wonderful and deeply respected colleague at CNN. We know she will continue to find success in her new pursuits.' In addition to 'CNN This Morning Weekend,' Walker also anchors 'CNN Newsroom' on CNN Max and CNN International, which airs Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET. A successor for Walker's slot on CNN's weekend morning program, which is co-anchored by Blackwell, has not been announced. The post CNN Anchor and Correspondent Amara Walker to Exit appeared first on TheWrap.
