Kaitlan Collins has not publicly announced a marriage or identified a current partner. When the CNN anchor posed with New York photographer Emilio Madrid at two events over Grammy weekend, it was her network that fielded the question about whether they were dating.
A CNN representative told The Daily Beast on February 2 that Collins and Madrid “are just friends.” The spokesperson said they attended the events “with a group of friends, not just each other.”
Just Jared revisited that exchange on November 3 as Collins covered the midterm elections. Her assignment that night as CNN’s chief White House correspondent was to report on how President Donald Trump and his administration were reacting to the results.
Before the Grammy photos, Collins had been linked to Will Douglas, a Texas pharmacist who ran for a seat in the state legislature in 2020. As Swooon reported, Collins hasn’t publicly discussed whether or when they dated. She has, however, told Jon Stewart where she would want to hold a wedding someday.
What Kaitlan Collins Shared From Grammy Weekend
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On January 31, Collins wore a black strapless dress to Clive Davis and the Recording Academy’s pre-Grammy gala. She posed with Madrid, who spent four years as a staff photographer for Broadway.com. Financial commentator Haley Sacks, known as Mrs. Dow Jones, also took a selfie with the two of them.
The next evening, Collins wore a burgundy gown and Madrid wore a tuxedo to the 68th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena. Before the ceremony, Collins posted a rooftop photo of them to her Instagram Stories with the caption “Grammys bound.”
Her February 2 Instagram recap gave two reasons she was happy to be in Los Angeles. “It’s 75 degrees and Bad Bunny is there? I’m in,” she wrote, thanking the Recording Academy for the evening. Madrid shared his own pictures, including one of friends gathered in a hotel room with room service after the parties.
The Bar Where Collins Told Jon Stewart She’d Like to Get Married
During a June 2025 episode of The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, the conversation turned to Collins’ home state of Alabama. Stewart recalled visiting a bar on the Florida state line in his MTV days. As soon as he named the Flora-Bama, Collins wanted to know what he had against the place.
“If I ever get married, I want to get married at the Flora-Bama,” she told him. Part of the appeal, Collins explained, is that you can go on a Saturday night to hear a cover band, then come back on Sunday morning for church. Even during the service, she told Stewart, you can get a Bloody Mary.