CNN Staff Outraged by ‘Overpaid’ Kaitlan Collins

Kaitlan Collins has herself a new luxury home in Nantucket, and while she’s ecstatic about her purchase, the same can’t be said for her colleagues at CNN, Knewz.com can reveal. Despite the network looking to cut costs, the 33-year-old can somehow afford a new “very expensive” property, which is believed to have irked plenty of people.

“She just bought some bougie place, and CNN people are grossed out that she paid so much,” an insider said. The average home price on the Massachusetts island, known for being a hot spot for the wealthy, was a bit under $5 million as of May 2025, according to Realtor.com. Collins’ new neighbors include notable names like fashion magnate Tommy Hilfiger and Barstool founder Dave Portnoy. Collins is one of the most well-known personalities on CNN, and she’s been at the center of plenty of memorable exchanges with President Donald Trump. The journalist‘s home drama is a hot topic as another source previously claimed her co-workers are bracing for “tears on the horizon.”

Now that Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two companies, many at the network are worried about losing their jobs — especially individuals with high salaries. The network will split into Streaming & Studios and Global Networks sometime before 2026, with CEO David Zaslav taking charge at the former. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will become the president of the Global Networks group. “Gunnar will look at CNN and decide he can maintain relatively similar profits at a mere fraction of the cost,” Dylan Byers, an ex-CNN reporter, predicted. “This will have perceptible ramifications on the talent side.”

Another source said the issue is everyone who is “overpaid,” including talent: “The superfluous reporters who barely are on the air. All will either be exited or forced to take massive pay cuts,” the source said. There’s one star at CNN who seems to be preparing himself in case he’s fired: Anderson Cooper. The 58-year-old reportedly hired a new agent, Creative Artists Agency, and its top deal broker, Bryan Lourd, in hopes of being properly positioned in case he finds himself on the job market.

“This isn’t about ratings, it’s about reinvention,” a source told Rob Shuter of Cooper for his Hollywood Substack. “He’s done the nightly grind. Now he wants creativity, ownership, and freedom.” The insider also claimed the veteran journalist, who is said to make $18 million a year at cash-strapped CNN, is in talks with several top streamers, including Amazon, Apple TV+ and Netflix, as he hopes to make the jump from cable TV to a more popular platform. Another source explained Cooper does not want to be “the next Don Lemon.” Said the source, “He’s planning his own exit, on his own terms.” In 2023, Lemon was fired by CNN following a rough run as a morning show host, which left the 59-year-old “stunned.” One insider compared Cooper and Collins’ positions at the network and made clear she’s not reeling in as much cash as the New Year’s Eve Live co-host. “Anderson’s pulling less than 700,000 viewers a night. Meanwhile, Kaitlan Collins is clocking higher ratings for a fifth of the salary,” they said. While the source claimed the news network “can’t afford [Cooper] anymore,” CNN shut down the rumors and said there is “zero truth” to them.