Gayle King is expected to be the next major departure from CBS News, as the anchor is set to leave the network’s morning show as major changes under Bari Weiss continue.
The 70-year-old, who has hosted CBS Mornings under various titles since 2012, will leave the show next year, with her contract set to end in May, Variety reports.
King may not be purged from the network entirely, as they may give her a new contract to produce specials for the network, similar to what happened to ex-CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell.
Massive job cuts are already underway, with the network’s formidable new Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss telling staff this week that an ‘enormously difficult’ period lies ahead.
The network also killed off a team focused on race and culture as part of sweeping layoffs across the network.
The Race and Culture Unit, founded in July 2020, had been tasked with ensuring ‘all stories have the proper context, tone and intention’ before publishing, according to CBS parent company Paramount.
The Daily Mail confirmed the unit was entirely eliminated along with several other positions across CBS News.
At CBS News, nearly 100 positions are reportedly being eliminated.
Gayle King is expected to be the next major departure from CBS News, as the anchor is set to leave the network’s morning show as major changes under Bari Weiss continue
The 70-year-old, who has hosted CBS Mornings under various titles since 2012, will leave the show next year, with her contract set to end in May
The entire team overseeing CBS Saturday Morning – including anchors Michelle Miller, Dana Jacobson and Executive Producer Brian Applegate – were among those let go.
The streaming editions of both CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings are both being killed off.
New CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss reportedly acknowledged the cuts on the network’s morning editorial call Wednesday, calling it a ‘enormously difficult day.’
Paramount chairman David Ellison discussed layoffs in a note to staff Wednesday morning.
‘In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization,’ he wrote.
‘In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth.’
CBS Morning Plus was anchored by Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz, while CBS Evening News Plus was manned by John Dickerson, who resigned from the network after 16 years on Monday.
Internally, Dokoupil is a top candidate to replace the Dickerson on CBS Evening News, Status reported. Dickerson and Maurice Dubois took over for longtime anchor Norah O’Donnell in January but were plagued by poor ratings.
The Daily Mail contacted CBS News for comment.