Kaitlan Collins Absent From CNN, Replaced On-Air Days After She Reported Katie Zacharia Is 'Out as Press Secretary'

CNN star Kaitlan Collins took an unexplained absence from The Source after a wild week in American politics.

On Monday, October 19, the first weekday following the White House firing former Press Secretary Katie Zacharia after just five days on the job, Dana Bash filled in for Collins, leaving viewers wondering if something is amiss at CNN.

The 34-year-old's absence led to speculation that a mix of her coverage of Zacharia and new ownership at CNN may be causing changes at the network.

Collins, ever a thorn in Donald Trump's side, thoroughly covered the president's hand-picked press secretary during her horrible week on the job.

Zacharia was reportedly rushed into the Press Secretary gig by Trump, but failed spectacularly. She gave an awkward first press conference in which she accidentally referred to the president as her "husband" and was dogged by questions about her legal accreditation in the days after.

By her first Friday, Trump was telling reporters he was urging her to reconsider the gig. She was fired shortly after.

After Zacharia's job went from in "in jeopardy" to "over" in the course of a wild hour on October 16, Collins reported that White House insiders texted her that Trump was "embarrassed by the coverage of Zacharia’s [October 13] briefing" and felt she insufficiently defended him on TV.

"Zacharia had few allies willing to stand up for her or defend her performance," she added.

She also reported that after the first press conference, White House insiders texted her speculating Zacharia's time would be short.

"It wasn't long after she had left the podium that officials started texting me about her fleeting first appearance in the briefing room. And in the words of one person who described what played out in less than 15 minutes total… brutal," she said on-air.

While there's little concrete evidence to suggest something dramatic is happening with Collins and CNN, the anchor's absence from The Source came just after the network's veteran anchor Christiane Amanpour announced she was departing following 43 years with the company.

Amanpour's departure is speculated to have to do with CNN's parent company Warner Bros. being purchased by Trump ally David Ellison. Amanpour expressed worry about her network's journalistic integrity, criticizing the shift CBS has taken under Ellison's reign.

Collins celebrated Amanpour on Instagram hours before she missed The Source, calling her, "Our legend."

Ellison introduced sweeping personnel changes at CBS, as many veteran, highly respected anchors left or were fired the network within months of his takeover.

There is no reporting that Collins is on the chopping block, but Ellison's closeness to Trump and the president's dislike of Collins has fueled speculation.

Collins has long drawn Trump's ire, complaining she doesn't "smile" enough and is too negative in her coverage of him.

His rage at her came to a head when he tried to ban CNN from the White House, along with MS NOW and Politico, though the ban didn't last.