CNN anchor Rahel Solomon announced her plans to quit the network in a startling live on-air moment.
“I have decided that this will be my last week at CNN. More to come on what’s next for me, but I’m really excited about this next chapter,” Solomon, 37, said in a stunning end to her daily morning show, Early Start.
“To the larger team here at CNN—I’m going to be cheering you on. I look forward to watching,” Solomon added, stating that she plans to stay on till the end of the week.
“So this is truly not goodbye, but see you soon,” she said before the telecast concluded.
Solomon was named anchor of Early Start, an hour-long broadcast airing at 5 a.m. every morning since its debut last March. After she began anchoring the show, Solomon took six months of maternity leave, following the birth of a baby girl with her husband, Marcel S. Pratt.
She had returned to her hosting position three months before her decision to quit.
Prior to hosting the morning show, Solomon was a business correspondent for CNN from 2022. The media personality has yet to announce what her next chapter will be outside of the network.
A message from Rahel Solomon: pic.twitter.com/6HMOSZTdsZ
— CNN Early Start with Rahel Solomon (@EarlyStart) March 23, 2026
The Daily Mail reports her colleagues were supportive of her plans to step back from the show. The official X account for the program also posted a clip of her exit announcement, captioned “A message from Rahel Solomon.”
“We are grateful to Rahel for all her contributions to CNN over the past four years and are supportive of her decision. We wish her all the best in her next chapter,” a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Beast.
The network hasn’t announced who will replace Solomon as the show’s host.
Solomon’s exit comes as the network was acquired by Paramount in a larger deal merging the company with Warner Bros. The controversial deal was headed by Trump-friendly executive David Ellison.
Insiders believe the network will be taken over by CBS’s MAGA-curious boss, Bari Weiss. After the merger, staffers told Status, “The panic at CNN right now is off the charts.” “We are doomed,” another said.
It’s unclear whether Solomon’s decision was related to the leadership changes. The Daily Beast has reached out to Solomon for further comment.
