Gayle King’s CBS Future Reportedly in the Air After Paramount Merger
Shakeups at CBS could affect more than just The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Following last month’s news that the late-night series will end in May 2026, a new report from the New York Post alleges that CBS may not renew its deal with CBS Mornings cohost Gayle King when her contract expires that same month. Per the outlet, King previously signed an $13 million to $15 million extension with the network through next spring, and CBS will likely not offer her the same deal again.
The speculation surrounding King’s CBS future comes as Paramount recently sealed an $8.4 million merger with the media company Skydance. According to the Post, the merger gained FCC approval following Paramount’s elimination of DEI policies and after Skydance agreed to hire an ombudsman to monitor CBS News for political bias.
The decisions seemingly go against King and her executive producer Shawna Thomas’ goals of promoting diversity and inclusion on CBS Mornings under CBS co-CEO George Cheeks. A source close to the situation told the New York Post that King and Thomas’ “agenda” has alienated fans, leading to a decrease in viewership.
“The audience doesn’t want woke. It doesn’t like progressive and provocative bookings,” a source told the outlet. “The morning show audience wants optimism and cheer and joy, and what they were producing is at odds with audience expectations.”
Michele Crowe/CBS
Though CBS Mornings has reportedly lost around 20 to 30% of its viewership in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic over the past three weeks, another source told the New York Post that the morning show is still profitable for the network.
The outlet’s report went on to note that former CBS News president Wendy McMahon previously tasked Cheeks with making CBS Mornings more appealing to middle America. Thomas allegedly ignored the initiatives in favor of highlighting minority groups.
“[Thomas] didn’t do what she was told,” more sources told the publication, also claiming that Thomas was not fired by McMahon because she had the support of King.
“In these cases, you have to fire somebody. Wendy McMahon was not strong enough. She needed a head on a stick, but Shawna had the protection of Gayle King,” an anonymous producer told the outlet. “Executive producers are the servants of the anchors. They don’t survive unless they do what the anchors tell them.”
More insiders alleged that there’s “a ton of internal politics” at the network, telling the Post, “The culture at CBS News prevents progress. There is something just ingrained in a place that was once so great that they can’t quite see the fact that to remain and be great again — whatever that looks like in 2025 and beyond — it requires doing things differently.”
King, for her part, did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
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