CNN refreshed its early-morning lineup in 2025, adding new voices to start the day — including longtime radio journalist Audie Cornish.
The network reshuffled its schedule this spring after Kasie Hunt moved off CNN This Morning to take over the 4 p.m. hour with The Arena With Kasie Hunt. That left the 5–7 a.m. window open for a new approach.
Instead of one continuous show, CNN split the slot into two hour-long programs. Rahel Solomon now anchors Early Start from 5–6 a.m., while Cornish leads the 6 a.m. hour of CNN This Morning, which streams on the CNN app.
Cornish brings a deep audio–journalism background to the role. She started her career at The Associated Press in Boston, then joined NPR, where she became host of Weekend Edition Sunday in 2011. By 2013, she moved to All Things Considered full-time, staying with NPR until 2022. She later joined CNN+ as a host in January 2022 and launched her weekly interview podcast The Assignment with Audie Cornish, which she still hosts.
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Here are five quick things to know about Cornish as she takes on her new morning seat:
1) She fell for journalism early as a “latchkey kid”
Raised by two working parents, Cornish has described herself as a “total latchkey kid” who found her way into storytelling through daytime TV. She credits hosts like Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue for sparking her interest in interviews focused on everyday people.
“I was drawn to these journalists because they wanted to tell stories about ordinary people, not just celebrities,” she has said, noting that those shows shaped both her curiosity and her interviewing style.
Cornish’s family immigrated from Jamaica to Boston in the 1980s, and she often speaks about how meaningful this new chapter feels for her family — especially her mother, who celebrated the moment as a full-circle achievement.
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2) She was a proud band geek — and still is
In high school, Cornish wasn’t just in the marching band — she was the drum major at Randolph High School in Massachusetts. She still carries that identity with a grin.
“I still know all the tricks,” she’s joked. “I can conduct, I can walk backward while playing the clarinet.”
She also credits band life with introducing her to the powerhouse culture of marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities, a tradition she says deserves more mainstream attention.
3) She hustled her way into her first media job
Before she worked in newsrooms, Cornish spent time as a part-time bank teller while in school. But she knew media was the goal — and she decided to take a bold shot.
She’s recalled spotting communications executives in the elevator lobby at work, slipping away from her teller station, and pitching herself on the spot. The risk paid off: they offered her an internship.
That early win became a personal lesson she’s leaned on ever since — to ask directly, take uncomfortable chances, and trust your preparation.
4) Her first job out of college was covering 9/11
Cornish’s first professional role after college was at The Associated Press in Boston. She had only just started when Sept. 11, 2001 changed everything — especially in a city tied directly to the departures from Logan Airport.
What had been a slow summer of assignments immediately turned into nonstop coverage. She spent the opening months of her career reporting on a historic national tragedy, covering everything from funerals to stories of people who learned the news far from home.
She’s described it as sobering, overwhelming, and formative — a crash-course in what journalism can demand.
5) She relaxes with romance reality TV
For someone who lives in hard news, Cornish says her downtime leans lighter — and a bit trashier, by her own cheerful admission.
She loves Netflix dating and romance reality shows, including international versions. For her, the appeal is twofold: it’s escapist, and it offers a slice-of-life view into cultures and communities she might not otherwise see.
She also likes the neat endings these shows deliver — couples either commit or move on — a kind of clarity that contrasts with the uncertainty she covers every day.
Cornish’s mix of sharp reporting, audio storytelling chops, and easy on-air presence makes her a natural fit for CNN’s revamped morning rhythm. If her career so far is any hint, she’ll bring both seriousness and curiosity to the anchor desk — with just enough pop-culture balance to stay grounded.
