CBS Reportedly Scrambling to Sign Tony Dokoupil as ‘Evening News’ Anchor Following Maurice DuBois Exit

CBS News was reported to be in panic mode on Thursday (December 4) following Maurice DuBois’ public announcement that he will be leaving CBS Evening News on December 18.

According to the New York Post, CBS News bosses “scrambled” to sign CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil to a new contract that would see him take over as host of the network’s flagship evening broadcast. This came after it was claimed DuBois went “rogue” earlier in the day by announcing his departure on Instagram.

CBS President Tom Cibrowski has since denied those reports, telling the Post he had “worked directly with Maurice for 2 weeks, who is a complete professional, on announcing his departure.”

In his exit post, DuBois wrote, “It has been the Honor of a Lifetime. 21 years altogether, including my time at WCBS-TV in New York City. What a privilege! To be welcomed into your homes night after night, delivering the news / meeting extraordinary people and telling their stories. I’ll leave filled with gratitude, cherished relationships and amazing memories.”

DuBois became co-anchor of CBS Evening News alongside John Dickerson in January 2025, replacing Norah O’Donnell. Dickerson announced his decision to leave the show back in October, confirming his final broadcast will be in December.

The exits of DuBois and Dickerson come amid significant changes at CBS News following Paramount’s (the network’s parent company) merger with Skydance earlier this year. Since then, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison hired The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as CBS News’ new editor-in-chief.

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As previously reported, Weiss has been “quietly canvassing” for a fresh face to helm CBS Evening News, with Dokoupil being a frontrunner. However, Weiss was also said to be looking outside the company, sending feelers to Fox News’ Bret Baier, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman to jump networks.

Per the Post, DuBois’ announcement “sped up the timeline” to secure a replacement anchor for CBS Evening News. The outlet claims the network spent Thursday renegotiating Dokoupil’s contract with his agent, UTA’s Jay Sures.

CBS News has yet to confirm a new host for CBS Evening News.