CNN host Jake Tapper is heading to primetime temporarily through the midterm elections, the network announced on Thursday.
Tapper, the host of “The Lead” weekdays at 4 p.m. will move to primetime and host a show in the 9 p.m. hour starting October 10 and continuing until November 11. The slot was previously held by Chris Cuomo who was fired last December.
“The world has come to rely on Jake’s no-nonsense approach to covering the news, especially during high-stakes election cycles,” CNN chief executive Chris Licht said in a statement, adding that the move will show Tapper’s “tough reporting, smart analysis and consequential interviews as our audiences navigate the myriad of issues at stake in the midterms.”
The network also announced other changes to its lineup heading into the midterms.
Alisyn Camerota, a co-anchor of “CNN Newsroom” and CNN legal analyst Laura Coates will co-anchor an evening program at 10 p.m., immediately following Tapper’s hour.
“By adding the insights, experience and strong voices of Alisyn and Laura, we will advance and expand on that coverage, creating something complimentary and compelling in primetime,” Licht said.
The hosts of CNN’s morning show, “New Day,” John Berman and Brianna Keilar will each fill in for Tapper in the 4 p.m. hour.
“New Day” will end this year and be replaced by a new morning show hosted by Don Lemon, anchor Poppy Harlow and White House reporter Kaitlin Collins.
“The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” will add an hour to its programming, running from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. nightly, while hosts Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper will remain in their 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. time slots, respectively.
