After 13 Years on CBS Mornings, Gayle King Finally Breaks Silence on Her Future at the Network.NH
Amid multiple outlets reporting that the long-running anchor of CBS Mornings (formerly CBS This Morning) would be leaving her role on the morning news program next year, CBS News shut down the speculation.
“There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026,” a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement shared with People Oct. 30. “She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”
The day before, CBS News’ parent company Paramount Global announced an overhaul of the news organization, including the cancellation of a streaming program associated with CBS Mornings, according to multiple outlets. Though the initial reports of Gayle’s exit from the morning news show noted she may stay on board with CBS News in a different capacity, it seems she is keeping her anchor chair for now.
Since signing onto CBS This Morning in January 2012, the 70-year-old has shared the desk with Charlie Rose, Norah O’Donnell and Anthony Mason. She currently co-anchors with Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson.
During her tenure, Gayle has sat down with the likes of world leaders like President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, as well as her pal Oprah Winfrey. But perhaps her most notable interview was with R. Kelly in 2019 before he was convicted of federal counts of racketeering and sex trafficking. During their chat, he became visibly upset while Gayle remained calm and simply repeated his name “Robert.”
“It escalated rather quickly,” Gayle told People in 2019. “It went from 0 to 200. When it’s happening in that moment, you don’t really feel it. I could tell he was getting a little angry, I could see that, but I didn’t expect it to go there.”
She added, “When he jumped out of the chair, and he’s hitting, and he’s screaming, and spit is flying because he’s angry, I just thought, ‘You can’t respond in kind to that.’ If you respond in kind to that, then we’re both off the rails.”
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Beyond her major interviews, though, Gayle is simply in awe of getting to pursue her lifelong interest: connecting with people.
“I have a natural curiosity,” she said during a 2016 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “When I was in fourth grade, a teacher said, ‘Dear Mr. and Mrs. King, Gayle King is bright but she tends to talk a lot in class and is disruptive. I brought it to her attention, now I’m bringing it to yours.’”
And while Gayle noted she “lived in a house where if you got a note home from the teacher, you’re in big trouble,” she sees that moment as a gift.
“It’s ironic to me that I make my living talking,” she concluded. “I really like people.”
While it seems Gayle is not leaving CBS Mornings, read on to see stars who have left their hit shows.
