CNN Star Kaitlan Collins Is Mockingly Given ‘Don Lemon Crown’ for Controversial Appearances at Oscars, Grammys

CNN staffers are reportedly frustrated with one of the network’s stars, Kaitlan Collins, as they accuse her of focusing more on Hollywood fame than journalism. In 2021, Ms. Collins became the youngest chief White House correspondent and also hosts the 9 pm hour on CNN’s U.S. channel. Her aggressive sparring with President Trump has won her plaudits in the mainstream media, and apparently an invitation to Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party — despite journalists supposedly being banned from the event since 2019, a restriction that was tightened further this year by Vanity Fair’s new editor, a specialist in curating parties and live events. The CNN star’s attendance at the Vanity Fair party, which the Daily Mail notes has a “well-documented” history of “debauchery and spectacularly glamorous excess,” appears to have roiled her colleagues.“When you become more well-known as a red carpet influencer than a journalist, there’s a problem,” a network executive told the Daily Mail. Kaitlan Collins attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesVanity Fair’s press materials on the event said Ms. Collins was wearing “Nicole Rose jewelry.” The designer of her orange dress was not reported, though Ms. Collins commented on Instagram that it was orange as a tribute to the film “Marty Supreme,” which bombed at the Oscars.The network executive who spoke to the Daily Mail said Ms. Collins seems to be “out of touch” and seeking “red-carpet notoriety.”The source noted that Puck’s closely-read media journalist, Matthew Belloni, bestowed on Ms. Collins the “Don Lemon crown of CNN-er who most enjoys flying to LA for parties.”Ms. Collins was also recently spotted at the Grammys in a sparkling, ruby-red dress.Kaitlan Collins attends the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesWhile the Oscar party may have been the latest example of Ms. Collins’ celebratory interactions with Hollywood stars, frustrating her co-workers, tensions have reportedly been simmering for some time.Last year, CNN laid off about 200 people. The network said the cuts were part of an effort to modernize its business model. But while staffers — who, as CNBC noted, would mostly be unrecognizable to CNN viewers and not earning enormous salaries on par with the network’s marquee talent — were losing their jobs, Ms. Collins was buying a “very expensive” vacation home on Nantucket, where the median list price of a home is around $4.85 million, according to the New York Post. One network source told the Post in July, “She just bought some bougie place, and CNN people are grossed out that she paid so much.”“She’s way overpaid,” the source added. Ms. Collins is believed to make around $3 million a year, which is not on the high end of salaries for anchors. However, CNN has faced criticism from media insiders who say the network pays its anchors bloated salaries. Kaitlan Collins and Emilio Madrid attend the 68th GRAMMY Awards Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Avery Lipman & Monte Lipman on January 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyCNN has struggled to regain its footing and the audience it had when it experienced a Trump-boom during Mr. Trump’s first term in office, when the network’s primetime shows frequently drew in more than a million viewers. For much of the last year, the network’s average primetime audience has been between 500,000 and 700,000 viewers. In January, it averaged 660,000 viewers.By contrast, MS NOW averaged 887,000, and Fox News averaged 2.04 million. A source at CNN previously downplayed the dip in ratings, telling the Sun that it reflects a change in how the network’s viewers are accessing its content, such as through its app and videos, which the network argues is a natural consequence of people cutting the cord and focusing on streaming services instead of linear television. CNN’s audience has seen an increase amid the drumbeat of dramatic events, such as the American raid that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and “Operation Epic Fury.” In February, the network averaged 807,000 viewers in primetime. But the mounting criticism of Ms. Collins comes at a bad time for staffers hoping to hold onto their jobs as Paramount Skydance is in the process of acquiring CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.Once the deal is finalized, it is expected that there will be significant cuts at CNN — and likely CBS News, which is also owned by Paramount Skydance — in an effort to eliminate redundancies and slash costs. A former CNN journalist, Peter Hamby, said on a recent episode of Puck’s “The Powers That Be Podcast” he knows “for a fact” that several correspondents at CNN will not have their contracts renewed, and that they are signing short-term deals to extend their income stream, but that they will likely not be at the network by the end of the year. Aside from the cost-cutting measures, there are also concerns that CNN staff could be cut loose due to their anti-Trump coverage. Larry Ellison — who helped bankroll the purchase of WBD and is the father of the chief executive of Paramount Skydance, David Ellinson — reportedly discussed firing anti-Trump personalities at CNN.CNN did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

CNN Star Kaitlan Collins Is Mockingly Given ‘Don Lemon Crown’ for Controversial Appearances at Oscars, Grammys

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