CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota is leaving the news network after 10 years, she announced on social media on Sunday. Camerota shared the news on Instagram hours before her final broadcast appearance.
“Big News, Everyone!—today is my last day on CNN,” the post reads. “Tune in at 4:50 p.m. (ET) for my sign off. Keep it here for updates!” Camerota posted the message alongside a picture of herself behind her desk on the CNN set.
She addressed her decision to leave CNN in a heartfelt statement to viewers during her final moments on air, but did not reveal the reason for her departure or what she has planned next.
“I’ve had such incredible opportunities here these past 10-plus years,” Camerota said. “I’ve interviewed presidents and heroes and extraordinary people, the kind of peak career experiences that I had dreamed of since I was a teenager. The journalists at CNN are the very best in the entire news business, and it’s been an honor to have been their colleague.
“It’s also an honor to have been in your homes this past decade through some of the biggest stories of our lifetimes. I’m always touched when a viewer comes up and tells me that I helped get them through these challenging times,” she said.
Fellow CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer praised Camerota, saying “You’re not only a good friend, but a colleague and an outstanding journalist, and I know whatever your next challenges and adventures will be, they will be exciting and wonderful.”
Camerota, 58, first joined CNN in 2014 following a 16-year stint at Fox News. She served more than six years as a coanchor on CNN’s morning show “New Day.” Camerota won two Emmy Awards for her coverage of the death of George Floyd and the arrest of Roger Stone, while also earning the Edward R. Murrow Award for her coverage of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico, according to her biography on CNN.
During her tenure at CNN, Camerota covered topics that included the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Harvey, and the Parkland school shooting. She also went on to cohost “CNN Newsroom” with Victor Blackwell and “CNN Tonight” with Jake Tapper and Laura Coates.
Earlier this year, she published her second memoir, “Combat Love: A Story of Leaving, Longing, and Searching for Home,” and announced that it is being developed for film and TV by Tiwary Entertainment Group. In 2017, Camerota published her first novel, “Amanda Wakes Up,” about a young reporter who scores a job at a big-time cable news station.
In September, Camerota shared on Instagram that her husband of 23 years, Tim Lewis, had died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“I cannot imagine any human being soldiering through a devastating diagnosis with more humor, humility, and bravery than Tim,” she wrote. “He was a phenomenal father, husband, friend, and role model, and the rest of us are left trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Camerota’s friends and CNN colleagues took to social media to show their support following the announcement of her departure, including David Chalian, CNN’s political director, who wrote “You will be so greatly missed! Your curiosity, humanity, kindness, toughness, and humor all mixed into the perfect combination each and every day you brought us the news! Getting the chance to be your colleague has been a true privilege! Wishing you only the very best in what comes next!”
Former CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, who announced her exit from the network in April, wrote, “With love and admiration always. You are the definition of grace, wit, smarts, and joy.”
“An incredible run. We are all so lucky to have gotten to work with you,” wrote Alyssa Farah, cohost of The View and CNN political commentator.
Former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell wrote, “Congratulations on a great run! You are a terrific anchor and journalist. Always love watching you.”