Kaitlan Collins is one of the most successful CNN reporters, becoming their youngest chief White House correspondent in 2021. However, an insider at CNN told The Daily Mail that Collins cares more about journalism’s benefits.
They stated, “Seems Collins cares more about the perks of journalism.” They further added, “When you become more well-known as a red carpet influencer than a journalist, there’s a problem.”
This criticism comes after Collins attended the Vanity Fair annual post-Oscars Party. According to The Mirror, this event is off-limits to journalists, but she arrived in an orange dress covered in gold flowers.
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“If I were Collins, I’d see this as a wakeup call and focus more on my day job and less on gallivanting around town,” the source stressed.
Collins was not the only journalist present at the party; Maureen Dowd of The New York Times was also there. She even wrote an opinion piece based on her experience.
However, Dowd works as a film critic, and Collins’s job has not much to do with the Academy Awards, as reported by The List.
The source even commented on Matthew Belloni from Puck News, giving Collins a nickname. He apparently called her the new holder of “the Don Lemon crown of CNN-er who most enjoys flying to LA for parties.”
Don Lemon was a CNN journalist who was ousted in 2023 amid numerous scandals.
CNN is already facing internal friction across the company, with doubt about the network’s future, as The Sun reported.
Previously, it had been claimed that Warner Bros. Discovery planned to split into two companies. This restructuring is expected to affect CNN employees, who are bracing for possible salary cuts.
Media outlets also cover Collins’s lavish lifestyle, with her recently buying a beach house in Nantucket.
CNN staffers are reportedly frustrated with one of the network’s stars, Kaitlan Collins, as they accuse her of focusing more on Hollywood fame than journalismhttps://t.co/hm0zRKM5my
— The New York Sun (@NewYorkSun) March 24, 2026
A source from CNN revealed to Page Six, “She just bought some bougie place, and CNN people are grossed out that she paid so much…She’s way overpaid.” Another insider, however, defended Collins, pointing out her dual roles at the network.
There are also plenty of supporters for Collins, with filmmaker Ami Horowitz telling Sky News, “Let her buy all the beach houses.”
When Collins first rose in her position as a White House correspondent, she stated, “The respect of your colleagues — not just within your own team but within the entire White House press corps — is to be well-read on what’s going on and to have good reporting.”
She even reflected on her role as a journalist to Forbes in 2021, “When you go on CNN and give a report from the White House, people from all walks of life are listening to you to see what’s going on, and they’re counting on you to know what you’re talking about and to present it fairly,” as reported by the aforemention The Daily Mail article.
