One of the popular faces on CNN, Brooke Baldwin is now set to leave the Warner Media news network in April. She made the surprising announcement on Monday, saying she is now ready to go and do what she loves doing the most.
“The next chapter of my life will be focused on what I love the most about my work: amplifying the lives of extraordinary Americans,” she said as she opened her Monday afternoon broadcast.
Brooke Baldwin added: “There is just more I need to do… outside the walls of this place, a place I have been privileged to call home for 13 years. Yep, we’re still in a pandemic. No, I don’t have a job I’m jumping right into. Yes, I’m feeling very vulnerable.”
Brooke Baldwin has a new book, “Huddle,” slated to debut in early April. It looks at how women come together to solve problems or enact meaningful change.
She departs as many expect CNN to unveil some sort of reworking of its daytime schedule that could have early-afternoon anchor Brianna Keilar going to co-host “New Day,” the network’s morning show, while Alisyn Camerota, currently on in the morning, could shift into afternoons. Other moves are also possible.
Brooke Baldwin has been with CNN since 2008, and was originally based in Atlanta. But she gained new prominence at the network after moving to New York in 2014, when she started to lead two hours in the afternoon.
She proved popular enough with viewers to challenge Fox News Channel in the ratings, and was able to hold her own with breaking news or extend herself to lifestyle topics, including music.
She was also an early proponent of digital storytelling, relaying an account of her climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to viewers and anchoring some streaming series on interesting female figures