“CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King will stay with CBS News and the morning show after inking a new deal with the Bari Weiss-led news organization, a person familiar with the matter told TheWrap, ending months of speculation about her future at the network.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
King’s decision comes after a report emerged last year that she was expected to leave the network once her current contract expires in May. King on Wednesday said that “rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated.”
“CBS News is my longtime home, and I am committed to our mission,” she said in a statement. “I’m excited about continuing at ‘CBS Mornings.’ As always, I’m open to new adventures here and ready to go. It took a minute, but we got there. And now that we are here, I am all in.”
Retaining King adds a level of stability to a network undergoing sweeping changes by Weiss, who became its editor in chief last year. Multiple executives, anchors and producers have left CBS News over the last few months, while Anderson Cooper said he would leave “60 Minutes” after its current season ends. Meanwhile, “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil ascended to host “CBS Evening News” in December.
“There is only one Gayle King,” Weiss said in a statement. “We’re so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home. We’re thrilled to have her on in the morning—and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences.”
Weiss had said at a CBS News town hall in January that King would remain with the network.
Some of CBS News’ changes may still affect “CBS Mornings,” which has yet to replace Dokoupil and remains No. 3 in the ratings behind “Today” and “Good Morning America.”
CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said King and co-anchor Nate Burleson were “fantastic partners” on the show and said the network was “excited to continue to evolve CBS Mornings and can’t wait for what’s to come.”
King has spent the last few months defending the network — and her position within it — while facing questions over her future. She told a TMZ reporter that the network has said “they want me here” and that she refused to negotiate in the media. King also condemned internal leaks during the January town hall.
