CNN anchor Rahel Solomon surprised viewers and coworkers on the morning of Monday, March 23, 2026, when she revealed live that she is departing the network, marking an unexpected exit for one of the outlet’s up-and-coming talents.
“I have decided that this will be my last week at CNN,” Solomon, 37, told viewers at the end of her broadcast, saying that next Friday, March 27, would be her final appearance. “More to come on what’s next for me, but I’m really excited about this next chapter.”
Solomon anchors the “Early Start” 5 to 6 a.m. hour and also appears on CNN Newsroom for CNN International and CNN Max. The network confirmed she is leaving, 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 exit follows just over a year after Solomon took over “Early Start” when CNN announced significant schedule changes in January 2025. Her program, first introduced as “5 Things with Rahel Solomon,” premiered on March 10, 2025, as the network brought back the “Early Start” name in a larger morning lineup revamp that also placed Audie Cornish on “CNN This Morning” from 6 to 7 a.m.
Solomon had only returned from a six-month maternity leave in December 2025 after welcoming a daughter with her husband, Philadelphia attorney Marcel S. Pratt. Her departure occurs roughly three months after she resumed anchoring.
Her announcement arrives amid turmoil at CNN. Its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, agreed in February 2026 to be bought by Paramount Skydance for about $111 billion, concluding a heated bidding contest that included Netflix withdrawing from an $83 billion offer. The deal, led by executive David Ellison who has promised CNN will remain independent and said he wants to be “in the truth business,” has heightened concerns among staff about the network’s editorial future, especially given changes at CBS News after Bari Weiss became editor-in-chief.
Solomon’s rise at CNN accelerated after she joined full-time in April 2022 as a CNN International correspondent focused on global business coverage. She reported on major events like the 2023 U.S. banking turmoil, the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and UBS’s emergency takeover of Credit Suisse. Prior to CNN, she was a general news reporter at CNBC on shows such as “Halftime Report” and “Power Lunch,” and anchored morning news at KYW-TV (CBS-3) in Philadelphia from 2017 to 2019.
Her journey to journalism was indirect. Solomon earned a bachelor’s in finance from St. John’s University in Queens in 2010 and later completed a master’s at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She initially planned a career in banking before switching to broadcast reporting.
The Philadelphia native, born in Sudan to Ethiopian parents, moved to the U.S. at age three and the family first settled in West Philadelphia. Raised in Delaware County, she attended Archbishop Prendergast High School. Although she has lived in places including West Virginia, Colorado, France, Spain, and Italy while studying abroad, she stayed connected to her hometown and became well known to local viewers during her stint at CBS3 Philadelphia.
While in Philadelphia, Solomon went viral in 2017 after she and co-anchor Jim Donovan did the “hot chip challenge” on air. The clip continues to reappear online, highlighting her readiness to show personality on camera.
Her departure deepens the upheaval at CNN, which has faced falling viewership under Warner Bros. Discovery. Primetime audiences dropped sharply following the 2024 presidential election, though early 2026 numbers show improvement year over year from the weak 2025 figures. CNN ranked fifth in primetime total viewers for February 2026.
In January 2025, CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced plans to cut about six percent of staff — roughly 200 jobs — while shifting focus to digital products, including a paid streaming service. Warner Bros. Discovery invested $70 million to aid the network’s digital pivot. The shakeup also included programming changes: Jake Tapper moved to a two-hour 5–7 p.m. slot, Kasie Hunt shifted to a 4 p.m. show called “The Arena with Kasie Hunt,” and Wolf Blitzer was paired with Pamela Brown at 10 a.m. Some production roles were moved from New York to Atlanta and Washington to lower costs.
On the personal front, Solomon’s life has flourished alongside her career. She and Pratt were married on July 13, 2024, in a two-day ceremony at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, honoring her Ethiopian roots and his ties to Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. They selected the landmark because it held special meaning — it was the site of their second date. Pratt, from West Philadelphia, previously served as the city’s solicitor and is now a managing partner at Ballard Spahr.
CNN has not yet named a successor for Solomon on “Early Start.” The morning show, simulcast on CNN International, has been covering the war in Iran, with Abu Dhabi-based anchor Becky Anderson frequently appearing on the broadcast.
