CBS News begins staff cull days after anchor announced his exit... amid ongoing rumors Gayle King's days are numbered
Brutal layoffs are hitting CBS News after its parent company announced a plan to axe more than 2,000 staff across the organization.
New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss acknowledged the cuts on the network's morning editorial call Wednesday, Semafor's Max Tani reported.
Weiss called it a 'enormously difficult day' for the network, according to Tani.
David Ellison, the chairman of CBS News parent Paramount, broke the news about the companywide layoffs in a note to staff Wednesday morning.
'In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization,' he wrote.
'In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth.'
The layoffs will include an initial round of cuts on Wednesday that will impact 1,000 staffers across various departments. Another 1,000 are soon to follow, the New York Times reported.
At CBS News, nearly 100 positions will be eliminated, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cuts were planned before Weiss arrived at the network.
Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss acknowledged the layoffs on the network's morning editorial call, according to a new report
Sources told the Daily Mail earlier this year that executives will 'most likely' not renew longtime CBS Mornings host Gayle King's contract when it expires in May
In addition, layoffs will also hit Paramount's film studio and cable networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon and BET.
The news comes days after CBS Evening News co-host John Dickerson announced his resignation, ending a stint plagued by poor ratings.
The 16-year CBS veteran had been quietly negotiating his exit for weeks, Status reported. Paramount's merger with Ellison's Skydance in July led to the decision.
Well-connected sources told the Daily Mail earlier this year that executives will 'most likely' not renew longtime CBS Mornings host Gayle King's contract when it expires in May.
The show, hosted by King since 2011, has also suffered from poor ratings.
Ellison installed Weiss, the anti-woke former New York Times opinion editor, as editor-in-chief earlier this month.
The network also acquired her publication, The Free Press, for around $150million.
Weiss, 41, who quit the Times in 2020 over its 'illiberal environment,' has regularly criticized the state of legacy media and left-leaning views.
Paramount Chairman David Ellison outlined the roughly 2,000 layoffs in an early morning note to staff.
CBS Evening News co-host John Dickerson announced his resignation from the network Monday after 16 years at the network
Dickerson's exit marks the first major talent change at the network since she took the helm.
More programming shakeups could soon follow, with Weiss currently canvassing the industry for a fresh face to lead CBS Evening News after nearly a year of poor ratings under Maurice DuBois and Dickerson since the two took over for Norah O'Donnell, insiders told Status last week.
Candidates include longtime Fox News fixture Bret Baier and CNN stalwart Anderson Cooper, Status reported.
Last week, 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl conducted an interview with Jared Kushner - Donald Trump's son-in-law - and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Weiss worked with 60 Minutes producers to make the interview happen, The New York Times and Variety both reported.
