When Kaitlan Collins joined CNN in 2017, it seemed she was a star journalist on the rise. She began by reporting on the White House, and Collins added to her long list of enemies when she famously got into a spat with President Donald Trump in 2018 after he refused to answer her questions about Vladimir Putin. In 2022, CNN made Collins co-anchor of “The Source” with Don Lemon, and she went on to host her own evening show the following year. Unfortunately, not all viewers received Collins well, and one Reddit user vented, “It’s been obvious for about a year now that CNN has been heavily promoting Kaitlan Collins in an attempt to make her the next Anderson Cooper, but she’s not cut out for it at all. She has the personality and charisma of a cardboard box.” Another agreed, “She is so boring. I can’t watch or listen to her. It’s like watching paint dry.”
Others complained about Collins’ overly tenacious nature, which is evident when the CNN anchor can’t hide her hatred for J.D. Vance. “She thinks that interrupting guests in mid-sentence makes her a tough reporter. Instead it’s a sign of weakness,” a critic wrote in a Reddit post in 2024. Another wrote, “She needs to be [barred] from any and all white house briefings until she learns to show respect. Don’t know if she’s checked lately but CNN doesn’t exactly have the people’s respect or attention unless you live under a rock and believe anything you’re told.” It seems many of the viewers shared the same sentiment, and unfortunately, Collins’ ratings on CNN reflect that.
Kaitlan Collins’ CNN ratings are abysmal
After Kaitlan Collins switched over to her evening solo show, “The Source with Kaitlan Collins,” the news anchor failed to draw in enough viewers. As reported by the New York Post, the Nielsen ratings numbers showed that only 540,000 people tuned in. Things went up slightly for Collins, but not too much. In the first two months of 2025, Collins had an average of 600,000, Puck.News reported. According to US TVDB, “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” is ranked eighth among all the CNN shows, with an average audience of 429,000.
In November 2024, when CNN was considering making Collins the chief White House correspondent, a source told the New York Post, “Her viewership numbers are bad. They probably want to move her back to D.C. and get her out of the anchor chair.” At least viewers had some positive things to say about Collins’ new role. “When I read the headline I thought she’d lost her 9 PM show but this is an addition to her responsibilities. Keep rising Kaitlan!” a Redditor wrote. Another shared, “I actually feel bad for her. She’s tough but always very pleasant, now she’s gotta deal with that schmuck for 4 years.”
