Who's In, Who's Out At CBS News

King, Weiss, O'Donnell

On Friday, CBS News President Bari Weiss emailed all CBS News staff requesting individual memos due by Tuesday, October 14. In the note she asked employees to detail "how you spend your working hours — and ideally, what you’ve made (or are making) that you are most proud of," along with their views on "what’s working; what’s broken or substandard; and how we can be better." She urged bluntness, promising confidentiality and follow-up one-on-one conversations to align on a "shared vision" for the network.

The NY Post reports the request, reminiscent of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) mandates for federal workers to log weekly accomplishments, has drawn comparisons to dystopian workplace satires like Office Space. 

Staff reactions have been mixed: Some appreciate her enthusiasm and see it as a genuine bid to understand the operation, with one producer noting a shift in mood from dread to cautious optimism. Others view it with suspicion, fearing it could inform layoff decisions. 

Weiss has held meetings with key figures, including lunches with O’Donnell and Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan, and a roundtable featuring former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Mike Pompeo, and Antony Blinken (moderated by O’Donnell).  Despite these gestures, sources describe a tense atmosphere: "You could cut the tension with a knife," one insider told Vanity Fair.

Rumors Swirl Around Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell. The anchor lineup is a flashpoint, fueled by whispers of a "right-size" overhaul. Gayle King, 70, co-host of CBS Mornings with a reported $15 million annual salary, is seen as vulnerable. Her high paycheck clashes with Ellison's belt-tightening mandate, and sources say CBS is "ready to replace" her to cut costs. 

Enter Norah O’Donnell, 52, who was ousted as anchor of CBS Evening News in 2024 amid declining ratings and reports of a "toxic attitude." Now a 60 Minutes contributor, she's reportedly "desperate" to reclaim a prime spot and has been actively courting Weiss. 

Speculation points to two scenarios: O’Donnell returning to anchor Evening News (currently helmed by the lackluster duo of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois), or shifting to CBS Mornings to replace King. Weiss, a vocal defender of CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil (whom she backed during backlash over a Gaza-related interview), might elevate him to Evening News, potentially sidelining O’Donnell elsewhere.

Other CBS News stars like Robert Costa, Scott Pelley, and Lesley Stahl are expected to report to Weiss "at least for now," but their futures remain unclear amid the "wave after wave of layoffs" some predict.