New CNN Star Kaitlan Collins Trending for Past Homophobic Remarks

While America got a bitter taste of Donald Trump 3.0, it is moderator Kaitlan Collins who is getting attention after the town hall. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, and some of it is ugly.

"CNN CEO Chris Licht praised town hall moderator Kaitlan Collins for her masterful performance last night" during an editorial call with network staff," reports The Independent.

"I couldn't be more proud of her," he added, according to former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter.

"America was served very well by what we did last night," Licht said.

But in a tweet, Stelter wrote: "Many CNN employees strongly disagree."

New York Times White House correspondent Peter Baker gave Collins "props" for navigating the "impossible position" she was in during the town hall, reports Salon.

"Props to @kaitlancollins who was in an impossible position but did a heroic job of fact-checking Trump throughout the town hall. No easy task given how many factually untrue things he said in such a short time. Collins was a true pro and showed what a stellar journalist she is," he tweeted.

But on The Daily Beast "The View," co-host Sunny Hostin slammed Collins. "I don't think that she was prepared. I don't think he should have been given a platform. I was wondering when he was going to be fact-checked in real-time."

Collins tried and annoyed Trump to the point where he called her a "nasty person."

And the rising CNN star may parlay her hosting duties to getting her own prime time show. She currently is appearing on the network's poorly received morning show, in which she co-hosts with xxx after Don Lemon (the third co-host) was recently fired.

According to Variety, "Collins, the CNN up-and-comer who has gone from White House correspondent to morning anchor all before turning 35, is widely expected to be given new anchoring duties at 9 p.m., according to two people familiar with the matter. The hour is one of the most competitive on the cable-news schedule and has served as a home to some of the most popular hosts in the format, including Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity and Chris Cuomo."

Variety adds that "CNN ousted Lemon just last month after the anchor's outspoken style caused friction with his co-hosts and caused issues behind the scenes. If Collins does leave the morning program, Harlow, the last of the trio to stay with the hour, might be paired with other internal candidates, says one of the people familiar with the situation."

But with her quick rise in the public eye, so has the scrutinizing of her social media, which revealed a number of homophobic comments while she was in college, reports USA Today.

"When I was in college, I used ignorant language in a few tweets to my friends. It was immature but it doesn't represent the way I feel at all," she said in a tweet. "I regret it and I apologize."

"Collins' apology came after screengrabs of two tweets she apparently sent in 2011 began to circulate on social media Sunday. The official account of the Log Cabin Republicans, "the nation's largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies," adds USA Today.