Changes have been taking hold at CBS News as of late due to significant changes amongst the executive ranks at parent company Paramount. Company CEO David Ellison made a highly debated move this past October when he hired Bari Weiss to be editor-in-chief of the news sector. Weiss is reportedly seeking to overhaul various aspects of the brand and, around this time, employees have either left or been let go. A lot of eyes are on veteran TV journalist Gayle King now, and a new report suggests Weiss has specific plans for her.
The past few months have been filled with speculation regarding Gayle King’s status at the Eye Network. It’s been alleged that King may be on her way out the door, though nothing has been officially confirmed on that front. Much has also been said about King’s reported $15 million contract. Per new reporting by Variety, Bari Weiss isn’t pleased with that deal as it stands. It’s allegedly Weiss’ opinion that King’s deal is no longer practical in this current media landscape.
As a result of Weiss’ purported viewpoint, some other options are allegedly being explored for King to remain with the network. It’s said that one option could be for King to remain with the company as a special correspondent and pop up on different programs under the CBS News umbrella. Another course of action that’s reportedly being considered is keeping King in the fold for one more year for what could be likened to a farewell tour. In the event of that final-year plan, though, King would receive a lower salary.
Gayle King herself hasn’t publicly spoken about what lies ahead for her, as of this writing. Back in December, the CBS Mornings co-host addressed rumors that she was being strong-armed out of the company. At the time, King said she’d seen the rumors but declared that she was going to “stay out of the drama” and “just continue to do [her] job” accordingly.
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The reports swirling around King coincide with layoffs across CBS in the aftermath of the Paramount/Skydance merger and David Ellison’s installation. Near the end of 2025, longtime CBS Evening News Maurice DuBois left the network, and his co-anchor, John Dickerson, exited in December. Most notably, Dickerson finished out his tenure with a hug from fellow employee Stephen Colbert (who gave the finger to their bosses at the same time).
At the same time, questions have arisen about Bari Weiss’ actions and intentions for the network moving forward. Rumors suggest she’s looking to change up the programs offered by the brand and is even considering a show that could rival ABC’s The View. Some of Weiss’ decisions thus far have earned her backlash, however, such as her town hall with political activist Erika Kirk. Many also took issue with Weiss’ decision to pull a 60 Minutes story on a migrant prison in El Salvador shortly before it was set to air.
It’s hard to say exactly what the future holds for CBS News under Weiss’ leadership. As far as Gayle King is concerned, time will tell just what kind of agreement she and the executives come to regarding her future. Regardless of how everything shakes out with King, though, it’s becoming very evident that the media company as a whole could look very different in just a few years.
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