CNN star Laura Coates has lost her temporary anchor role at the network, and some staffers are concerned about representation as the network's pivot to the center may come "at the expense of people of color," as one employee put it.
Earlier this week, Coates interviewed Republican Jim Jordan on her Sirius XM show — demonstrating the kind of both sides-of-the-aisle reporting that CNN has been seeking as its fresh hallmark. But Coates, who had filled in for Don Lemon when he was a late-night show host and had also successfully anchored the 9 p.m. hour for months after Chris Cuomo exited the network, no longer has her own show.
On paper, Coates would seem like the ideal figure to fill the network's 11 p.m. slot, particularly as CNN already shared a press release about her appointment to the role in January. But in the past few weeks, Coates was told the network couldn't staff a separate hour and that Alisyn Camerota, who anchors at 10 p.m., would be extended for a second hour, according to four people familiar with conversations, including three CNN employees.
CNN and news industry insiders who commented for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak to the press.
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Camerota and Coates had, at times over the past several months, shared co-hosting duties in the two-hour period, and each has hosted the 10-12 p.m. period solo before they were given separate hours on a temporary basis at the start of the year. Coates has not anchored 11 p.m. solo since February. She will continue with the network as a senior legal analyst, but a person familiar with her thinking told Insider she's "disappointed" and "stunned" that she was not given more opportunity to try out for her own hour.
A network executive confirmed that CNN is concentrating its efforts on setting plans for the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. hours, but added that Coates is still on rotation for other opportunities and appeared on Monday night in the 9 p.m. slot. This person said the late-night block had traditionally been two hours and that the network's current offering in late night is still temporary.
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Coates, who is an author and attorney, had made a name for herself covering the George Floyd protests as well as police failures in the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas school shootings. "They pulled her off to save money," said one person familiar with internal conversations at CNN.
The move has opened CNN up to accusations that Black talent is being sidelined.
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Earlier this year, CNN also shifted Victor Blackwell from a weekday afternoon slot to what's viewed as a lesser role on weekends, although the network executive said Blackwell had asked to return to Atlanta.
Veteran CNN anchor Don Lemon had his own late evening block until he was offered an opportunity to share the spotlight in the mornings with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow as part of a relaunched "CNN This Morning."
The network's only Black solo anchors now are Abby Phillip, who helms the high-profile "Inside Politics Sunday," and Fredricka Whitfield, who also hosts a weekend show. Sara Sidneris the co-anchor of new show CNN News Central alongside Kate Bolduan and John Berman, as the network has moved away from single-anchor daytime hours in favor of three anchors covering news together over a three-hour period. CNN has no people of color as permanent anchors after 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Internally, CNN colleagues are also raising eyebrows about the news that Kaitlan Collins, who was promoted from White House correspondent to co-anchor of the network's morning show in November, appears to be in consideration for a primetime slot, according to the New York Post. Collins has been trying out during the evening hours this month.
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One CNN insider said, "The concern is that it's all white people who don't have experience anchoring — while surrounding them with [contributors who are] African American and people of color is a sleight of hand."
"To have someone made anchor after five to six months' experience is insulting to journalists of color who have been there for a long time and have established themselves as credible journalists," this person said, referencing the reports that Collins is being considered for primetime.
For now, it seems staffers are not taking the issue up through official channels. The CNN insider added that while some Black employees are discussing the problem among themselves, there's a fear that going to management would be futile since there's a belief the network has an edict to make conservatives happy, "maybe at the expense of people of color," this person said. One CNN employee described dissatisfaction among many Black staffers about the lack of opportunity to compete for prized solo anchor spots that can come with much bigger paychecks.
CNN, for its part, is hoping to land two huge Black voices to co-anchor a primetime show. The network has been talking to CBS' Gayle King and TNT sports commentator Charles Barkley, although two of the sources who spoke to Insider pointed out that these are not CNN journalists. What's more, if the talks with King and Barkley result in a deal, their show would account for a single hour of TV per week over just a handful of months.
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The National Association of Black Journalists' president, Dorothy Tucker, told Insider the organization was not aware of the complaints, but added in a written statement, "However, now that they've been brought to our attention, we will reach out to some of our members and see what we learn."
CNN declined to comment on the record.
