million unique visitors; it was a 60% year-over-year increase in readers, accompanied by a 300% increase in the overall size of its social media community. During Avlon's leadership The Daily Beast doubled its traffic to 1.1 million readers a day and won over 17 awards for journalistic excellence. In May 2018, Avlon announced his departure from The Daily Beast and moving to CNN as Senior Political Analyst and Anchor. Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC, issued a statement shortly after Avlon announced his departure, "John Avlon has been a superb editorial leader of the Daily Beast. He’s built a formidable newsroom, and a culture of excellence and decency. I only wish him the best for the future, and greatly am appreciative of his bringing Noah Shachtman onboard as his deputy so that we’re in the position to continue the fine work of the Daily Beast." Television Avlon has made appearances on a variety of television shows such as, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, and Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as on news programs on MSNBC, PBS, CNN, and C-SPAN. Avlon created and hosted the "Wingnut of the Week" segment on CNN. Syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker wrote that "Americans who are fed up with the Ann Coulter/Michael Moore school of debate, and are looking for someone to articulate a common sense middle path, may have found their voice in John Avlon." Avlon first appeared on television in 2005 on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss his book Independent Nation. He credits this debut with the launch of his TV career. In June 2018, Avlon moved to CNN full time as Senior Political Analyst making daily appearances on New Day, as well as guest anchoring for programs including State of America and Reliable Sources. His segment "Reality Check" on CNN's New Day was referred to as "a standout, and a welcome feature on television in a current era lacking in reality-based news coverage." Digital news outlet Mediaite, in referring to Avlon's New Day segment said, "Need a fascinating but unexpected perspective on the news of the day? John Avlon’s recurring segment “Reality Check” is a hit." Avlon has been interviewed in several documentaries including HBO's Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, 2010's Gerrymandering and the forthcoming History Channel miniseries Washington. In September 2021 CNN announced the debut of the digital series "Reality Check