CBS News’ Tony Dokoupil Is ‘Cocky’ & ‘Pretending’ to be Pro-Trump, Claims New Report

Tony Dokoupil has been the subject of controversy since he took over as anchor of the CBS Evening News in January, with critics slamming him for seemingly appeasing the Trump administration and bowing to the MAGA crowd.

In a new profile from the Columbia Journalism Review, several current and former colleagues of Dokoupil spoke about his first three months as Evening News anchor and accusations that he’s changed his views to fit CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss‘ anti-woke vision.

One CBS staffer took offense to a statement Dokoupil made before taking up his new anchor position, in which he blasted “legacy media” for putting “too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you.”

He said, “I know this because, at certain points, I have been you. I have felt that way too. I have felt like what I was seeing and hearing on the news didn’t reflect what I was seeing and hearing in my own life. And that the most urgent questions simply weren’t being asked.”

“You are the media,” the CBS staffer stated. “Now you get a promotion and you’re gonna talk s***?”

Another staffer told the outlet that while Dokoupil is seen as “professional and smart,” he’s also viewed as a “little cocky” and “looking to climb,” something they acknowledged is “not unusual for a correspondent.”

Since taking over CBS Evening News on January 5, the show’s ratings have struggled, recently falling under 4 million viewers. According to reports based on Nielsen figures, the show is projected to face its lowest-rated quarter this century.

The second staffer said that “people actually feel badly” for Dokoupil since he took over as Evening News anchor.

Others have questioned Dokoupil’s attempts to appease the MAGA audience, noting how it doesn’t fit the person they previously knew.

“I am surprised that he is pretending to be, if not MAGA-aligned, then somehow sympathetic to that worldview,” said one source, who worked with Dokoupil at NBC. “There was no hint of that whatsoever at NBC.”

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Another former NBC co-worker told CJR that they’re “baffled” that Dokoupil would become “a mouthpiece for the state,” noting how they “always thought he has so much integrity.”

Bryan Curtis, an editor at The Ringer, who worked with Dokoupil at Newsweek, said he isn’t surprised that his former colleague would “nod at Bari Weiss’ preferred politics” for the opportunity to move up the ladder. “I don’t remember Tony having politics to begin with,” Curtis added.

A CBS spokesperson denied that Dokoupil is trying to appease MAGA, telling the outlet that the narrative is “not based in reality.”

“It’s a sad reflection of our current media landscape that Tony and his team’s mission—to deliver trusted journalism to our audience day in and day out—is so controversial,” the statement read.