Brooke Baldwin announces departure from 13-year CNN gig on air

Veteran CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin on Tuesday announced at the top of her show that she’ll be leaving the network in mid-April after 13 years.

Baldwin, 41, made the surprise announcement at the start of her 3 p.m. show, telling viewers “there is just more I need to do outside the walls of this place.”

The midday host, who joined CNN in 2008 as a freelancer, said she doesn’t “have a job I’m jumping right into” and is feeling “vulnerable” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

However, she added, “I am so excited about what is to come.”

“This next life chapter will focus on what I love the most about my work: amplifying the lives of extraordinary Americans and putting my passion for storytelling to good use,” she said.

The Atlanta-native reflected on her years at the network and thanked viewers for their support, especially during her bout with COVID-19 last year.

“You have been here with me every step of the way,” she said. “I am grateful for your loyalty and passion for the world we cover.”

Baldwin also thanked her co-workers and CNN president Jeff Zucker, who earlier this month announce that he will be leaving the network at the end of the year.

“For a decade I’ve never taken for granted the enormous responsibility and privilege I’ve had to work with some of the most talented producers and photojournalists out there as we covered our era’s most urgent and important stories,” Baldwin said.

Over the last two years, Baldwin said that she has been working on her first book, titled “Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power.”