Poppy Harlow Knows What She's Looking for in Her Next 'CNN This Morning' Co-Anchor (Exclusive)

Harlow shares her vision for the morning broadcast's future following the back-to-back departures of co-anchors Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins

CNN's Poppy Harlow admits that her relentless optimism could be viewed as a weakness, but in a year that's unfolded very differently from what she imagined, her inability to shut down in the face of a challenge has become her superpower.

"I'm glad this is happening in my forties, because I have more perspective on things," Harlow, 41, says. "I have two kids, so I know what really scary is — what real, real stress is — and this is not that."

Harlow is of course referring to the responsibility she's been given to nurture a fledgling newscast as the last remaining anchor of CNN This Morning, just months after the show premiered with a team of three behind the desk, including her longtime friend Don Lemon and rising political journalist Kaitlan Collins.

Related: Poppy Harlow Is Guided by Lessons from Family as She Leads 'CNN This Morning' into New Chapter (Exclusive)

While she and producers map out the broadcast's next chapter — which has involved plenty of discussion about who should replace Lemon and Collins — Harlow is also tasked with going on the air each morning and proving to viewers that the show's quality has not been damaged by the unforeseen staffing shakeups.

"It's a time of transition," she tells PEOPLE. "This was not what we expected, but it also is a moment to iterate and to create something new."

Last fall, Harlow, Lemon and Collins were tapped to co-anchor CNN's ambitious new three-hour morning show. CNN This Morning premiered on Nov. 1, with guidance from the network's then-CEO, Chris Licht, who spearheaded the launches of MSNBC's Morning Joe and, later, CBS This Morning.

In the months that followed its debut, the show found itself entangled in a media frenzy for controversial comments Lemon made on the air, first about the U.S. women's soccer team deserving less money than their male counterparts, then about presidential candidate Nikki Haley being "past her prime" at 51 years old. In both instances Harlow was quick to jump in and call him out.

"You never want to be the story," Harlow says of the negative press that followed Lemon's remarks, "but it didn't make it difficult [for us] to focus on the news. Don, Kaitlan and I came to set every day with the mission of doing what we love to do."

Related: Don Lemon Bids Emotional Farewell on Final CNN Prime-Time Show: 'I Hope I Made You Proud'

When Lemon was briefly removed from the air in February after sharing his definition of a woman's "prime," Harlow and Collins chugged along, intent on keeping viewers captivated by their reporting — not the drama. Then in April, after Lemon had undergone "formal training" and the dust from his comments had seemingly settled, the 17-year CNN veteran was abruptly fired from the network.

"Don and I were friends for a very long time, for years and years," Harlow reflects, noting that he flew to Slovenia to attend her wedding more than a decade ago. Despite their viral on-air back-and-forths, "He's been a very, very important person to me," she says. "And to my whole family when both my children were born."

Related: 'Everyone Is Shocked' by Don Lemon's Sudden CNN Firing, Insiders Say (Exclusive)

The news of Lemon's departure came days before Harlow and Collins would face all of their industry peers at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington. It was Harlow's first time attending the star-studded event, and she arrived already in a spotlight. Every journalist in the room wanted to know what she was thinking.

If she and Collins were feeling the pressure to keep the media gossip under control in D.C., you wouldn't know it; they laughed and mingled at events throughout the weekend, walked the carpet with one another, and endured brutal jokes about Lemon during the Correspondents' Dinner roast. They were the new power duo of CNN This Morning — for a few weeks.

Related: Roy Wood Jr. Takes Aim at Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon at 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner

In May, as one of Licht's final acts as the CNN CEO, he announced that Collins would be leaving CNN This Morning to fill the coveted primetime slot once occupied by Chris Cuomo. Harlow — left in a shadow of uncertainty — could have been bitter, but that's not the Poppy way.

"I had this joy of getting to become really close friends with Kaitlan when we launched the show. I had always admired her work from D.C. and been in awe of her," Harlow says. "I'm so excited for her at 9 p.m. — she is just a massively talented interviewer. And I'm sad that she's not by my side doing it, but it's amazing for her."

The other week, Harlow popped by Collins' apartment to borrow some shoes for a wedding. "Friendships run deep even if we're not on the same show."

Now in the process of re-envisioning CNN This Morning, Harlow has maintained an astonishing sense of calm.

"We knew going into the show on November 1 that in a year ... it was not going to be the same show," Harlow says. Though she may not have predicted CNN This Morning morphing in the way that it did, she was prepared for the inevitable ups and downs that come with getting a new show on its feet.

In her mind, the new era of CNN This Morning isn't about topping the ratings — it's about something much harder to quantify. "What I keep coming back to is relevance. I think that's what really matters: Are you relevant in people's lives?" she says. "How are you touching people and making them feel like they can relate?"

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Of course, the show's ability to stay relevant depends largely on the talent propping up the show, and Harlow says she and her producers have worked very closely together on crafting the perfect anchor team to carry the show forward.

"We're talking constantly about the characteristics of the person that I'll get to sit next to, what matters most to me and what the best fit is for the team," Harlow says. "I really care about sitting next to someone who lifts up [our off-camera] team, who cares about the goals of the team, who is kind, who is funny."

"Humor is very important to me," she explains, "especially when you're waking up in the middle of the night." And lastly, she hopes to sit beside someone who brings a curiosity to the job.

"Obviously I miss having Don and Kaitlan by my side, but I'm excited for what's ahead," she says. "We'll have some news on that very soon."

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