CNN Locks In All Three Prime-Time Anchors as Paramount Takeover Looms

CNN has signed a new deal with Abby Phillip, securing all three of the network's prime-time anchors for the foreseeable future — even as a corporate takeover threatens to reshape the network from above.

Phillip, who anchors the 10 p.m. roundtable show NewsNight, was the last of CNN's three evening hosts to renew her contract with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to Variety. She was represented in the talks by Envisionary Management, a firm run by veteran talent representative Jon Rosen, Variety reported in January.

The deal rounds out a prime-time lineup that has held steady for nearly three years. Anderson Cooper, who anchors the 8 p.m. hour and also hosts the Sunday program The Whole Story and the grief-focused podcast All There Is, renewed his contract terms in 2025. Kaitlan Collins, who leads The Source at 9 p.m. and doubles as CNN's chief White House correspondent, has a contract with a few more years remaining. A CNN spokesperson said the network does not comment on contracts with talent, Variety reported.

The contract signings land as CNN's parent company faces a change of ownership. Paramount Skydance agreed to pay billions to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a revised offer valued at $111 billion, according to Poynter. Netflix had been circling the deal but pulled out in February 2026. The acquisition has since moved closer to completion, Variety reported in July.

Inside CNN, the prospect of new ownership has stirred unease. Staffers fear that Paramount CEO David Ellison could assign oversight of CNN to Bari Weiss, Variety reported. Weiss was installed as editor in chief of CBS News last year, and her tenure there has drawn scrutiny — including the ouster of top producers and correspondents at 60 Minutes. There are also growing fears within the network that the Paramount acquisition could bring programming and talent changes viewed as placating the Trump administration, according to the same report.

For CNN's staff, the worry has a precedent they remember. In 2022, after Warner Bros. Discovery came under the control of CEO David Zaslav, CNN forced Don Lemon out of his late-night slot and moved him to a morning-show concept that was later scrapped.

Phillip, who also hosts the Saturday-morning roundtable Table for Five, now has her prime-time position secured through the ownership transition. Cooper, Collins and Phillip each carry additional duties beyond their nightly slots, making the lineup not just a schedule but a roster of the network's most visible journalists — all now under contract as a new corporate parent prepares to take the keys.