Quitting CNN Anchor Tells Colleagues to Keep Speaking Out

Amara Walker shared a goodbye message during her last broadcast as a CNN anchor, telling colleagues and viewers to “speak up” and use their voices.

The Emmy winner and host of CNN This Morning Weekend told Deadline last week that she is taking “a hiatus from TV news” after more than a decade on air. And during her final broadcast on Sunday she teased her next adventure, as well as thanking her viewers.

“Today marks the end of my 10-year run at CNN,” she said, before imploring the prompter operator to move the text. Walker said her time at the network has been an “incredible privilege,” and commended her team’s commitment to journalism.

Walker—who also hosted CNN Newsroom on CNN Max and CNN International—then got deep, touching on her Korean heritage and reminding colleagues and viewers that their “voice matters,” in a veiled swipe at President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“And thank you to the CNN leadership, past and present, who supported me along the way for opening the door to this daughter of Korean immigrants who was often reminded through life that she was different and that she didn’t belong. She does belong. And so do you.”

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Walker’s rallying cry continued: “No matter what you see happening around you, don’t let anyone make you believe otherwise. I am deeply proud to have been the only Asian American anchor on a daily news program at CNN for quite some time. Your voice matters, so speak up. You will be hearing from me and seeing me soon.”

Taking to X after the live broadcast, Walker shared a clip of her farewell message and wrote rather cryptically: “Today marks a new beginning, after a 10 year run at CNN. It has been a privilege. Can’t wait to share my next adventure. Stay tuned…”

Walker said last week that she is “a journalist at heart” but has “other professional passions” that she has not been able to pursue given her “full-time commitment to a breaking news TV schedule.”

She remarked, “Winning an Emmy Award recently was the icing on the cake. I felt this is the right time to take this step.” She and her colleagues won the award for their coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Walker joins anchor Jim Acosta in leaving the network, after he was removed from CNN’s 10 a.m. time slot. In Acosta’s final broadcast, he warned listeners not to fall for Trump’s “lies.”