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CBS News has had one of the more dramatic, tumultuous years of a legacy network in recent memory.
From making a controversial settlement with President Donald Trump to undergoing new ownership, the Tiffany Network has been through a lot — and that includes personnel changes.
Here is a recap of the notable exits, hires, and on-air shuffles that CBS has experienced:
CBS News has had a wide range of personnel changes over the past year. (James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images)
"60 Minutes," often cited as the crown jewel of prestige broadcast journalism, was engulfed in a political firestorm in the run-up to the 2024 election over its edit of a Kamala Harris interview, prompting then-candidate Trump to file a massive multibillion-dollar lawsuit alleging election interference by CBS and its parent company Paramount.
Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder at the time, wanted to settle Trump's lawsuit in order to pave the way for Paramount's long-planned $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, resulting in a huge payout for her. While she recused herself from the decision-making, Redstone had reportedly put "60 Minutes" under a microscope by keeping tabs on what upcoming segments were about Trump and his administration.
That led to the resignation last year of "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who told his colleagues last April that the corporate overreach impacted his ability to maintain an independent newsroom. CBS News President Wendy McMahon announced her exit less than a month later.
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"60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens resigned in protest alleging corporate influence was impacting his ability to lead the newsroom. (Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images)
Prior to his exit, Owens had refused to apologize and told his staff, "The edit is perfectly fine," referring to the Kamala Harris interview answer in 2024 about Israel that prompted Trump's lawsuit.
His departure prompted on-air tributes from his colleagues and bombarded Redstone and Paramount with accusations of newsroom interference. The network later announced that Tanya Simon, a 25-year veteran of "60 Minutes" and daughter of the late CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, would take over as executive producer.
After the Paramount-Skydance merger closed, Redstone handed the keys over to the company's new owner, David Ellison. Among his first major moves was appointing Bari Weiss as CBS News' new editor-in-chief and acquiring her outlet The Free Press for $150 million.
Liberals were aghast by Ellison's appointment of Weiss, who had never worked in broadcast television. Weiss' background was in newspapers — she famously resigned from The New York Times in 2020 for being ostracized by her more liberal newsroom colleagues.
Despite her heterodox politics that has included at times sharp criticism of Trump, Weiss is often branded as "conservative" or "MAGA" by her progressive foes. Among her most glaring sins in the eyes of her critics is her support for Israel.
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The Free Press founder Bari Weiss was tapped by Paramount's new owner to become CBS News' editor-in-chief. (Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images)
Weiss, a critic of the legacy media, is now tasked with reviving one of its most revered institutions, and her sudden rise as a network chief was sure to ruffle some feathers. Her first major challenge came in December with the widely reported spat she had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who accused Weiss of acting politically when she halted a segment about the brutal El Salvador prison CECOT, shortly before it was set to air.
Weiss suggested the segment about the prison, where the U.S. has sent some illegal migrants, wasn't fair since it did not include a response from the Trump administration. The segment ultimately aired in January, but the controversy sparked an outcry outside the network.
The multiple overhauls of 'CBS Evening News'
CBS News has been the perpetual third-place broadcaster with its marquee morning and evening newscasts behind ABC and NBC.
In January 2025, Norah O'Donnell stepped down as anchor of "CBS Evening News," though remained with the network as a correspondent. Taking her place were John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, who failed to move the viewership needle.
John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois left CBS News after just one year of anchoring "CBS Evening News." (Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images)
After Dickerson and DuBois announced their exits from the network late last year, Weiss tapped "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil to become the new face of "CBS Evening News," marking her first big move as editor-in-chief. He began his stint in the anchor chair in January.
Dokoupil is now the fourth anchor to helm "CBS Evening News" since 2019 and the seventh since the scandal-plagued exit of veteran CBS anchor Dan Rather in 2005. None of them held the job for more than six years.
The abrupt ouster of a brand-new contributor
Paramount slashed roughly 1,000 jobs across the company last fall, many of them impacting CBS News.
Ex-staffer Trey Sherman went viral for his TikTok video accusing CBS of implementing race-based layoffs. Notably, he was an associate producer for the CBS streaming program "CBS Evening News+" as well as the CBS Race & Culture Unit, both of which were gutted after Ellison's takeover.
Earlier this year, the network also implemented a buyout program specifically targeting "CBS Evening News" staffers. Roughly 11 staffers accepted the buyout, according to Deadline.
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Bari Weiss selected Tony Dokoupil as the latest anchor of "CBS Evening News." (Michael Tessier/CBS)
As Ellison took the reins of trimming network staff, Weiss announced in January that CBS News had hired 19 new contributors. Among them were Iranian-born journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, famed historian Niall Ferguson, Free Press columnist Coleman Hughes, journalist Derek Thompson, former National Security Advisor HR McMaster, Harvard economics professor Roland Fryer and longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia.
The timing of the announcement, however, could not have been worse for Attia, whose name appeared more than 1,700 times in a newly released batch of Jeffrey Epstein files and included several personal, eyebrow-raising exchanges.
There had been reports about Weiss wanting to keep Attia at the network amid the public outcry. Ultimately, Attia chose to leave the network he had just joined after less than a month.
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"Dr. Attia's contributor role was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun. As such, he stepped back to ensure his involvement didn't become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network and its leadership well and has no further comment at this time," a spokesperson for Attia told Fox News Digital.
Attia took to social media in an attempt to clear his name, expressing regret for putting himself in a bad position but saying he was not involved in criminal activity.
Peter Attia was named a CBS News contributor days before his name appeared over 1,700 in the latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files, prompting his abrupt exit. (Renee Dominguez/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
Anderson Cooper bounces while Gayle King stays put
The Tiffany Network was rocked last month by the exit of longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Anderson Cooper.
