CNN’s Brooke Baldwin said an emotional goodbye on Friday during her last appearance on CNN’s Newsroom.
The veteran host, who has anchored the show for more than a decade, outlined how she received the position for the first time and thanked fans and her CNN colleagues for helping push her through the years.
“Let me allow you a little secret: this work, my show here on CNN, was not originally supposed to be mine,” Baldwin said. “More than a decade ago there was an anchor – CNN suddenly left and left this gaping hole in the afternoons. The bosses at the time quickly turned to me and they were like ‘Brooke, we’re going to need you to keep the seat warm to keep., just for a week, until we find the person who’s going to take over the show. “OK, guess what? I kept this seat warm for almost 11 years.”
Baldwin recounts the historic moments she saw when she was an anchor for CNN, from the coronavirus pandemic to mass shootings that shook the country.
“This work, which has been using my voice for over a decade, was nothing short of a profound privilege,” Baldwin continued, taking a deep breath. “So to you at home, thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for holding me accountable. And thank you for all the love. I tell you I read every single one of your DMs, well, forward them.”
In her closing remarks, she thanked viewers and her CNN team for holding her accountable and striving for her to be better, saying she ‘could have left this place better than I found it’.
She points to the recent increase in female journalists holding positions as correspondents in the White House, as the last sign of change and progress.
“Let me tell you something when I saw all those women recently,” she said. “I stood on my feet and applauded them. So many women, black, white, brown. Progress. We need diverse voices telling our stories in front of the camera and the executive suites. We’re making progress. So whatever in the industry you are in, my farewell words: get a little uncomfortable. Talk and keep pushing. “
Baldwin announced her plans to leave CNN in February. She is releasing her book “Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power” later this month.