Gayle King, who has been the face of CBS News’ morning show for more than a decade, is expected to step down as morning show anchor next year, according to four people familiar with the matter. King could be moved to another role in Paramount Skydance’s news department, which is undergoing an overhaul under its new structure.
King’s existing contract is set to expire in May. There are indications that CBS wants her to stay in the news department and sign a deal to produce her own programming for the station. Norah O’Donnell, who previously anchored the CBS Evening News, resigned from her role in January and became a senior correspondent for CBS News, contributing to a variety of programs and reporting.
The negotiations are about to begin just as Paramount is severing ties with dozens of CBS News staffers and hundreds more across the larger company. Mr. King becomes the latest in a parade of top CBS talent to step down from their positions as the company’s corporate ownership shifts from its former controlling shareholders, the Redstone family, to the Ellison family, who have expressed a desire to move CBS News away from content they feel is too liberal-leaning. Bari Weiss, the digital entrepreneur who founded conservative opinion site The Free Press, was named editor-in-chief of CBS News earlier this month. King’s future with the division is high on the list of issues Weiss needs to address.
In response to Variety’s request for comment on King’s future on CBS Morning, a CBS News spokesperson said, “We have not had any discussions with Gail regarding her contract through May 2026. She is a truly valuable asset to CBS and we look forward to engaging with her regarding the future.” Mr. King’s lawyer, Lawrence Shire of Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sachs, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
As the Ellison family tightened their grip on Paramount, CBS underwent major changes. CBS has canceled its flagship late-night show “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which ends in May, ahead of Paramount’s official sale to Skydance Media. The station will also part ways with John Dickerson, one half of CBS Evening News’ current anchor team. CBS News announced Wednesday that it will overhaul its Saturday morning show and cut ties with co-anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, as well as the show’s executive producer Brian Applegate. Lisa Lin and Nikki Batiste are also among the notable staff members leaving.
Moving the King is a risky gambit, especially since morning TV is built on the relationships that viewers and hosts have. If viewers feel Dr. King was removed for no good reason, he could be ripe for a rival like NBC’s “Today” or ABC’s “Good Morning America.” NBC News has discovered this challenge twice over the years. When Deborah Norville became co-anchor of Today in 1989, viewers did not take kindly to her because they perceived her as a bump in the air with her former co-host Jane Pauley. And in 2012, Today viewers were left disillusioned when Ann Curry was removed from her role as co-anchor due to producers’ concerns about her relationship with co-host Matt Lauer. However, viewers did not feel the same way, and after her exit, “Today” continued to lose ratings and ratings.
At the same time, CBS’ morning show has long held the No. 3 spot behind NBC and ABC, despite multiple format changes and more talent on the early morning desks. “CBS Morning” averaged just 1.8 million viewers in the five days ending Oct. 20, according to Nielsen data. During the same period, ABC’s “Good Morning America” averaged nearly 2.71 million viewers and NBC’s “Today” averaged nearly 2.69 million viewers. Paramount Skydance executives hired Weiss to bring more energy to CBS News’ programming schedule, with CEO David Ellison saying they wanted to appeal to a broader audience across the United States.
King, who first signed with CBS News in November 2011 and joined “CBS This Morning” the following January, has been a fixture on morning television for 14 years, no small feat in today’s media environment. CBS gained some attention with her first show, “CBS This Morning,” with Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell. King, along with Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil, then Dokoupil and Nate Burleson, helped move the show forward when Rose left after denying sexual harassment allegations. The show is now known as “CBS Mornings.”
As the economics of news become uncertain, with viewers turning to streaming and social media for early facts, traditional TV news stations are parting ways with veteran anchors and correspondents or moving them to cheaper positions. CBS’s O’Donnell, NBC News’ Hoda Kotb and Andrea Mitchell, and Fox News’ Steve Doocy are among those who left their high-profile jobs as daily anchors for new roles that tied them to the network but reduced their regular airtime. Veterans who have left news organizations in the past year include CNN’s Chris Wallace and Alisyn Camerota and Fox News’ Neil Kabuto.
Meanwhile, NBC News and CNN are among the news organizations that have cut or repositioned positions as they look to transition to new digital distribution models.
Dr. King produced several landmark moments during his tenure. In 2019, she gained a lot of attention for her interview with R. Kelly. She remained calm as singer and producer R. Kelly rose from his seat and yelled at her, denying the child molestation charges for which he was later jailed. Earlier this year, King flew into space on a Blue Origin flight with an all-female astronaut crew, including Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez.
She also helped CBS News develop a relationship with Oprah Winfrey, a close friend of King who has supported King since they worked together early in their respective careers. For a time, King helped run Hearst’s Winfrey magazine, taking time off from her morning show to work full nights and afternoons on the magazine.
Selome Hailu contributed to this article.
