CNN national correspondent and anchor Suzanne Malveaux announced Friday that she is leaving the network.
Malveaux joined CNN in 2002 and went on to cover Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. She has interviewed five living presidents, and several first ladies over her 20+ years at the network.
A versatile journalist, Malveaux’s roles at CNN have included White House correspondent, primary substitute anchor for The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Atlanta-based anchor of CNN Newsroom, and national correspondent, covering national and international news and cultural events.
Most recently, Malveaux covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine from on the ground in Lviv. Malveaux was also instrumental in the network’s coverage of the funerals of former top U.S. officials including General Colin Powell, Secretary Madeleine Albright, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis.
In September 2011, Malveaux embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan for the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 where she led breaking news coverage of the Taliban’s terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy there.
In September 2005, Malveaux returned to her hometown of New Orleans where she reported on the devastation and recovery following Hurricane Katrina. She was also part of the coverage teams that earned CNN a Peabody Award for its Katrina reporting and a duPont Award for CNN’s coverage of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia.
CNN told TVNewser in a statement, “Throughout Suzanne’s 20-year career at CNN, she has brought historic interviews to our audiences, broken news from around the world and mentored countless journalists across multiple bureaus. We are excited for her and her next chapter and wish her all the best.”
Prior to joining CNN more than two decades ago, Malveaux was an NBC News correspondent, covering the Pentagon and stories including the 2000 presidential election and recount and President Clinton’s impeachment trial.
Malveaux’s partner is White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Mediaite was on it first.
Here’s a note from Malveaux to her colleagues, obtained by TVNewser:
To My Colleagues and Friends,
Happy New Year!
This new year brings new beginnings for me and my family that I’m excited to share with you.
As some of you know, during the holiday I faced a second round of Covid 19. There is nothing like being quarantined in your basement to help one gain some momentum from contemplating to actually exploring what lies ahead. So after 20 years of delivering groundbreaking stories for the audiences of CNN, I’ve made the heartfelt decision to put myself and my family first and to pursue my long-desired professional passions: using storytelling to promote wellness, resiliency and social justice.
I will forever be grateful for the opportunities CNN afforded me. Starting with hiring me in 2003 to cover the White House — a 10-year stint that enabled me to interview five US Presidents, and the highlight of my career to cover Barack Obama’s historic campaign. Then, promoting me as one of its first black women to solo anchor a CNN weekday show– and later as co-anchor of the “Around the World” show– before returning to my storytelling roots. I have felt especially honored to showcase the stories of human resilience from post-Katrina New Orleans to Cairo, Kabul, Washington, and Lviv. I hope my work helped our audiences better understand the world as it changed around us.
It’s been an amazing journey!
CNN’s platform enabled me to bring global awareness to those brave people battling ALS, including my mother Myrna Malveaux who fought to keep us whole as a family during her illness. While I’ve thrived on the energy from covering breaking news and politics, the rhythm of my life has shifted to the more personal. I love being a mom, and the time I have with my eight-year-old daughter is priceless. I am so thankful that my mother and daughter had a chance to develop a beautiful relationship before she passed.
I am grateful that when I approached CNN in the fall of 2022 about focusing on my family and possibly pursuing some new opportunities, they supported me. I’m thrilled one of those projects will be a collaboration with a great grandson of Nelson Mandela to tell stories and spotlight communities in conflict poised to find peace. Stay tuned.
I will forever cherish the talented, dedicated professionals of CNN who I grew up with over the past two decades, those I mentored, and many who have become dear friends. Especially my show team family in Atlanta!
With love and gratitude, I wish you all the very best.
I will see you again soon!
Suzanne