Gayle King Meets With CBS Boss Bari Weiss to Discuss Future – Here’s What Happened

Amid ongoing changes at CBS News, including layoffs, hirings, and anchor moves, the future of longtime CBS Mornings cohost Gayle King remains a major topic of discussion.

King’s contract with CBS News is reportedly set to expire in four months, sparking speculation about her future. Variety previously claimed that she is set to leave CBS Mornings when her contract ends, though King herself told TMZ in October, “[CBS] like the job I’m doing. I like the job I’m doing.”

Now, Page Six has reported that King met with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss on Wednesday (January 7) for a “low-key lunch” at Cafe Luxembourg in the Upper West Side of New York City. A source told the outlet, “They were in the back corner and snuck in,” noting that the staff didn’t appear to know who Weiss was.

King was said to be “smiling and friendly to the staff.”

While details of the meeting remain unwraps, a spokesperson for the network told Page Six after the lunch, “CBS News loves Gayle King and we expect her to have a very long future here.”

However, another source said it appears “it’s the end of the road for her at the morning show,” suggesting King will move into a new role at CBS News following a shake-up of CBS Mornings.

This comes after King’s former CBS Mornings co-host, Tony Dokoupil, was promoted to anchor of CBS Evening News last month. Dokoupil made his official debut in his new role on Monday (January 5).

According to Page Six, sources claimed King’s lawyers have been meeting with CBS about her “either exiting completely or possibly going into some sort of Diane-Sawyer-type of role.” Veteran journalist Sawyer became a “special contributor” at ABC following her exit from ABC World News in 2014.

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When the outlet asked King for comment on the latest lunch meeting with Weiss, she quipped, “I can confirm I was smiling and friendly with the staff.”

King previously touched on the CBS shake-ups when appearing on Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show in December. She told Shepherd, “I’ve decided I’m going to stay out of the drama… and there is some drama. I’m going to stay out of that and just continue to do my job.”

King first joined CBS News in November 2011 and began hosting CBS This Morning the following January. She has remained a regular fixture on morning TV for 14 years, through the show’s transition from This Morning to CBS Mornings.

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