Kaitlan Collins’ executive producer suddenly quits CNN show for ‘brutal’ reason
Kaitlan Collins’ veteran TV producer has suddenly quit her CNN show after reportedly being overworked by the failing network.
Kristin Donnelly has resigned from her position as executive produce of The Source with Kaitlan Collins, according to Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter.
CNN employees were notified of her departure on Thursday, where she reportedly told coworkers that the demanding schedule had taken its toll on her and the hours were ‘brutal.’
Donnelly had been with the show since its launch in 2023 and was brought on for her experience managing high-profile shows.
She had previously worked Inside Politics with John King, which she started in 2017 when she joined the legacy media company.
Collin’s show is the most-watched primetime show for the liberal network in the key advertisement group of those aged 25 to 54, according to Nielsen figures.
The host herself, who makes $3 million a year, is juggling two roles as an anchor for her show, as well as its chief White House correspondent.
DailyMail.com has contacted CNN and The Source’s publicist for comment.
Kristin Donnelly (pictured) has reportedly resigned from her position as executive produce of The Source with Kaitlan Collins. CNN employees were notified of her departure on Thursday, where she reportedly told coworkers that the demanding schedule had taken its toll on her
Donnelly had been with Collin’s show since its launch in 2023 and was brought on for her experience managing high-profile shows (pictured: Collins at the White House)
Donnelly’s departure comes at a time when the legacy network is struggling with viewership numbers.
Despite Collin’s being the most-watched for the network, it only ranks third for 9pm show.
It significantly trails behind Fox News’ Hannity, which has 272,000 views, and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s show, which pulled just ahead of Collins with 132,000, according to Nielsen figures.
Fox News pulls out a clear lead during primetime hours, which run between 4pm and 11pm. Its most popular shows at The Five and Jesse Watter’s Primetime – both shows feature the anchor – pulling in 430million and 374million, respectively.
CNN pulls in front of MSNBC for many primetime shows, including Anderson Cooper’s show, which pulls in 110,000, compared to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s show, which garners an average of 70,000 views in the key demographic.
In total primetime views, Collins garners 569,000 views. Hannity pulls 2.7 million and Maddows has 1.7 million viewers.
Collins recently faced backlash on social media for her reporting on President Donald Trump, with some even joking that she’s the ‘female Jim Acosta.’
Collins posted a social media video on CNN’s official accounts on Friday, letting viewers know of an interesting choice of artwork outside of the Oval Office.
Collin’s show is the most-watched primetime show for the liberal network in the key advertisement group of those aged 25 to 54. It significantly trails behind Fox News’ Hannity and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s show
Collins presided over a CNN town hall with Donald Trump in May 2023
‘Not only have we never had a US president with a mugshot – I’m not sure we’ve ever had a mugshot hanging outside of the Oval Office before,’ Collins said in the video.
Trump supporters have since fired insults at Collins on social media for the video, with one X user writing, ‘Kaitlan Collins of CNN is mad that President Trump is proudly presenting his mugshot outside the Oval Office.’
‘Here we go. The only reason Collin’s is in the press room is because she is nothing more than Jim Acosta 2.0,’ another added.
