CNN anchor Rahel Solomon stunned viewers and colleagues on Monday morning when she announced live on air that she’s leaving the network, marking an unexpected departure for one of the cable news outlet’s rising stars.
“I have decided that this will be my last week at CNN,” Solomon, 37, told viewers at the end of her broadcast, adding that Friday would be her final show. “More to come on what’s next for me, but I’m really excited about this next chapter.”
Solomon hosts “Early Start” in the 5-6 a.m. ET time slot and anchors CNN Newsroom on CNN International and CNN Max. The network confirmed her departure, with a CNN spokesperson telling The Daily Beast, “We are grateful to Rahel for all her contributions to CNN over the past four years and are supportive of her decision.”
The departure comes just over a year after Solomon took the helm of “Early Start” when CNN announced major changes to its schedule in January 2025. The show, initially unveiled under the title “5 Things with Rahel Solomon,” debuted on March 10, 2025. The network revived the “Early Start” brand as part of a broader morning lineup overhaul that also installed Audie Cornish to host “CNN This Morning” from 6-7 a.m.
Solomon had only recently returned from a six-month maternity leave in December 2025, following the birth of a baby girl with her husband, Philadelphia lawyer Marcel S. Pratt. Her exit comes just three months after resuming her anchor chair.
Her announcement arrives at a turbulent moment for CNN. The network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, agreed in February 2026 to be acquired by Paramount Skydance for approximately $111 billion, ending a dramatic bidding war that saw Netflix walk away from its own $83 billion deal. The merger, led by Trump-friendly executive David Ellison, has sparked widespread anxiety among CNN staffers about the network’s future direction.
Solomon’s career trajectory at CNN had been on a steady climb since she joined the network full-time in April 2022 as a CNN International correspondent covering global business news. In that role, she covered major stories including the 2023 U.S. banking crisis, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and the emergency takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS. Before CNN, she worked as a general news reporter at CNBC, appearing on programs including “Halftime Report” and “Power Lunch.” She also served as a morning news anchor at KYW-TV (CBS-3) Philadelphia from 2017 to 2019.
Her path to journalism wasn’t a straight line. Solomon graduated from St. Johns’ University in Queens, N.Y., in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, then earned a master’s from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She initially planned to enter banking before pivoting to broadcast news.
The Philadelphia native, who was born in Sudan to Ethiopian parents, moved to the United States at age three, where her family first settled in West Philadelphia. She was raised in Delaware County and attended Archbishop Prendergast High School. Though she has lived around the world — including West Virginia, Colorado, France, Spain, and Italy during a study-abroad program — she maintained strong ties to her hometown, where she became a familiar face to viewers during her time at CBS3 Philadelphia.
During her Philadelphia days, Solomon had a viral moment in 2017 when she and co-anchor Jim Donovan took the “hot chip challenge” on air. The clip continues to resurface online years later, a testament to her willingness to show personality on camera.
Solomon’s departure adds to the turbulence at CNN, which has struggled with declining viewership under parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The network’s primetime audience dropped significantly following the 2024 presidential election, though ratings have shown year-over-year improvement in recent months compared to depressed 2025 numbers. CNN finished in fifth place in total viewers during primetime for February 2026.
CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced in January 2025 plans to cut 6% of the current staff — approximately 200 people — while redirecting resources toward digital initiatives, including a new subscription-based streaming option. The network received a $70 million investment from Warner Bros. Discovery to support its digital transformation. The overhaul also included multiple programming shakeups: Jake Tapper moved to a two-hour slot from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Kasie Hunt shifted from mornings to a 4 p.m. program called “The Arena with Kasie Hunt,” and Wolf Blitzer paired with Pamela Brown at 10 a.m. Some TV production jobs also relocated from New York to Atlanta and Washington to reduce costs.
Solomon’s personal life has flourished even as her career advanced. She married Pratt on July 13, 2024, in a two-day celebration at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that honored both her Ethiopian heritage and her husband’s membership in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. The couple chose the iconic venue because it held sentimental meaning — it was where they had their second date. Pratt, a West Philadelphia native, previously served as the city’s solicitor before becoming a managing partner at Ballard Spahr.
CNN has not announced who will replace Solomon on “Early Start.” The show, which is simulcast on CNN International, has been featuring coverage of the war in Iran, with Abu Dhabi-based anchor Becky Anderson regularly joining the broadcast.