CBS News Reportedly Looking To Move Gayle King, Cut Salary In Half
CBS would be wise to stop chasing ABC and NBC and attempt something different.
In what would be her most aggressive programming move to date, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is considering demoting Gayle King from "CBS Mornings" and cutting her salary in half.
According to the New York Post, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski have discussed shifting King into a special correspondent role that would include occasional reports and celebrity interviews.
"Weiss respects King’s ability to land high profile interviewees and wants to keep her on staff, but in a much lower paid capacity," the report said.
Under new leadership, CBS is looking to cut costs by reducing the salaries of its highest-paid on-air talent. King earns around $15 million per year, and her contract is set to expire later this year, per Variety. The proposed role would reportedly give her "12 months to bid farewell to viewers."
Gayle King attends the 97th Annual Oscars. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
King has been a fixture of "CBS Mornings" since 2012. In recent years, she co-hosted the program with Tony Dokoupil and former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson. Weiss recently moved Dokoupil to anchor "CBS Evening News."
Burleson’s future on "CBS Mornings" remains uncertain amid the broader overhaul. He also works as an analyst for CBS Sports on Sundays.
By the numbers, CBS continues to trail its competitors. In the fourth quarter of 2025, "CBS Mornings" averaged 1.91 million viewers, well behind ABC’s "Good Morning America" at 2.78 million and NBC’s "Today" at 2.86 million.
It is unclear what type of talent Weiss plans to pursue next. Reports previously suggested interest in CNN commentator Scott Jennings. Executing Weiss’s vision could take months or longer, as many of the personalities she may prefer remain under contract elsewhere.
CBS’s lack of star power is difficult to ignore. Burleson is not Michael Strahan. Dokoupil is not the household name David Muir is.
Even the network's flagship "60 Minutes" program is a shell of its former self, to the fault of its slanted editorial vision over the past 18 months.
CBS would be wise to stop matching the styles of ABC and NBC and attempt something different with its next iteration of morning television. For years, the network has looked old, unfocused, and short on energy.