CBS Mornings rocked as Gayle King departs, insiders reveal a storm of backstage turmoil behind the scenes.NN
Gayle King is reportedly stepping down from “CBS Mornings” next year.
The news anchor may switch to a different role within the network, although that has not yet been confirmed, sources told Variety Thursday evening.
The surprising development comes after a major overhaul under CBS News’ new Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. The shakeup has produced extensive budget cuts, the cancellation of two streaming shows, around 100 layoffs and much more.
Some of those already let go from the network include eight on-air correspondents and hosts.
King’s current contract with CBS is set to expire in May, The Post has confirmed, although a source familiar with the situation noted that nothing is set in stone and King hasn’t yet made any plans regarding her career after that point.
Another insider revealed that King, 70, has very different politics from Weiss.
However, it is still possible that the “CBS Mornings” star remains with the broadcaster with a new deal to produce her own program, per Variety.
Norah O’Donnell, the former host of “CBS Evening News,” currently still works with the network as a senior correspondent, appearing on several programs, despite stepping down from her show in January.
“There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026,” a CBS spokesperson said following the surprising news of King’s departure. “She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”
King joined CBS News as a morning show host in 2011 when the program was still called “CBS This Morning.” It was rebranded to “CBS Mornings” in 2021, and King stayed on as its main anchor.
She currently co-hosts the program with Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil.
Still, rumors about how much time King had left with the network began back in May, when insiders suggested that her salary, which is said to be more $10 million, was too high to justify her show’s poor ratings.
“This could be Gayle’s last year,” a media source close to the Tiffany Network told The Post at the time.
Speculation around King’s future at CBS picked back up this week after Paramount, CBS’s new parent company, officially announced the sweeping layoffs and budget cuts that insiders had been warning about for weeks.
“This is just such an enormously difficult day for so many people who have given years of their lives to this company,” Weiss, 41, reportedly said during a morning editorial call on Wednesday.
“This really is a bloodbath,” a CBS News staffer later said, revealing that the cuts expanded across the network’s entire newsroom.
Other talents to fall victim to the shocking CBS chopping block in recent months include late-night host Stephen Colbert, “CBS Evening News” co-host John Dickerson and “CBS Saturday Morning” co-anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson.
