Brooke Baldwin fought back tears as she anchored her CNN show, CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, for the last time Friday.
“I am filled with emotion and gratitude,” she said after her colleagues surprised her with a video compilation of some of her remarkable stories.
She explained that her job was initially temporary. Baldwin would fill in for a week until a permanent host could be found, she said. She eventually stayed in that position for eleven years, which she called “a deep privilege.”
The author of Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power thanked her CNN family for stimulating and improving her. She thanked the audience at home for their loyalty.
Thank you for your home. Thank you for trusting me, thank you for holding me accountable, ”Baldwin said. “Thanks for all the love.”
In her final moments, Baldwin called for more diversity in all areas of storytelling.
The day was emotional, but Baldwin had a lot of time to prepare for it. She announced her plans to return in February.
As the Peabody-nominated journalist told Yahoo Entertainment this month, she’s been slowly coming to the decision in recent years.
“It will be difficult to walk away. I have to run away, ”said Baldwin. “And the main reason is – listen, it was a total privilege … but I, spending all this time with all these trailblazing women and these groups, I can’t keep space with them and not the bravest version of myself to be.”
She also gave her father credit for telling her, “Being uncomfortable is a wonderful thing.”
She urged others to follow his advice. “Feel a little uncomfortable,” she told viewers on Friday. ‘Say it. And keep pushing. ‘
Looking ahead, Baldwin said she doesn’t know yet.
Her colleagues wished her the best.
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