CBS faces a growing dilemma over the future of mega-buck anchor Gayle King as ratings for her “woke” morning show tank – and the struggling network’s new owners vow to root out left-wing bias, The Post has learned.
The “CBS Mornings” co-host, one of the fading Tiffany Network’s few remaining stars, is part of a culture that has “dug in” against attempts by higher-ups to move away from polarizing coverage, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
A key problem is that George Cheeks — the co-CEO of CBS parent Paramount who is in line to run the network under new overlords Skydance Media – has for years promoted a diversity, equity and inclusion mandate, the sources said.
That has allowed 70-year-old King and her executive producer Shawna Thomas to set a programming “agenda” that has alienated traditional morning show viewers, one of the sources close to the situation told The Post.
“The audience doesn’t want woke. It doesn’t like progressive and provocative bookings,” one of the sources told The Post. “The morning show audience wants optimism and cheer and joy and what they were producing is at odds with audience expectations.”
One insider pointed to a March 26 interview with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bob the Drag Queen, who was publicizing his first novel, “Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert.”
The “CBS Mornings” website described the book as a “gender-bending story where the historic icon appears in modern-day America to tell her story through a hip-hop album,” as previously reported by The Post.
The perennially last-place show – once regarded as a cash cow for the beleaguered news division – has seen its ratings plummet to below 2 million in recent months.
In the past three weeks, King and co-hosts Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson lost between 20% to 30% of their audience versus last year in the advertiser-coveted 25- to 54-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen.
King signed an extension for between $13 million and $15 million that runs through next May, according to a well-placed source. That’s the same month that CBS will pull the plug on late-night host Stephen Colbert and his reported $15 million-a-year contract.
The “Late Show” reportedly lost $40 million to $50 million last year, The Post reported. A person with knowledge said that “CBS Mornings” is profitable, despite its waning ratings.
Given the plummeting viewership, Skydance likely won’t offer King the same cushy deal again, the source added.
CBS declined to comment. King did not respond to requests seeking comment.
has pushed back against orders from top brass on programming. Getty Images
The anchor joined the morning show in 2012 and has since weathered a revolving door of CBS News presidents. In May, Wendy McMahon left over CBS’ impending settlement with President Trump over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.
McMahon, who was brought in as co-president in 2021 and was handed the reins in 2023 after Neeraj Khemlani got canned, was charged by Cheeks to make the morning show more appealing to middle America, two sources with knowledge told The Post.
But her directives were allegedly ignored by Thomas, one of the few African-American executive producers in TV, in favor of programming for niche audiences who are black, LGBTQ or other minorities, the sources said.
Two insiders said Thomas didn’t push back directly on McMahon’s orders, she just “didn’t do what she was told.”
A source close to the situation said Thomas views herself as a major journalist who wants to do heavy reporting and provocative interviews with edgy guests – but noted that it’s an awkward fit for morning TV.
Despite recent cost-cutting by Paramount, McMahon didn’t fire Thomas because the producer had King’s support, according to sources.
Wendy McMahon did not respond to requests for comment.
“In these cases, you have to fire somebody,” one longtime producer told The Post. “Wendy McMahon was not strong enough. She needed a head on a stick but Shawna had the protection of Gayle King.”
“Executive producers are the servants of the anchors,” the source added. “They don’t survive unless they do what the anchors tell them.”
The insider remarked that aside from woke programming, many viewers were “alienated” by the fact that none of the show’s anchors – aside from Dokoupil – are white. In addition, the majority of the show’s substitue anchors are African American, due in part to initiatives to diversify the talent pool over the years.
A source said top brass attempted to address the issue, recently hiring Rob Marciano, a former “Good Morning America” weatherman who was dumped by ABC over alleged anger management issues, The Post previously reported.
The show’s ratings quickly got worse after the presidential election, sources said, explaining that “CBS Mornings” staffers were gut-punched after Harris lost.
According to one insider, “CBS Mornings lost its curveball” when Trump was elected and the staff were unable to hide their “distaste” for the result and were instead, “shocked,” “sad” and unable to recover.
McMahon hired Tom Cibrowski, a former “GMA” senior producer, to help amp up the ratings and work with Thomas, who was hired in 2021 after previous stints at NBC News and Vice Media.
Two sources said Thomas was initially supportive of his ideas to tweak programming, but that Cibrowski soon hit similar roadblocks. A source close to the network said Cibrowski and Thomas have established a good working relationship.
Cibrowski was named CBS News boss after McMahon’s exit.
Major changes are expected to take place when independent studio Skydance, led by CEO David Ellison, grabs the reins. The FCC finally cleared its $8.4 billion merger with Paramount last week and the deal is expected to close Aug. 7.
To get FCC approval, Skydance pledged to hire an ombudsman to monitor for any political bias at CBS News. Paramount also eliminated its DEI policies.
Nonetheless, Ellison and his right-hand man Jeff Shell, former CEO of NBCUniversal, will need to make a seismic change to alter the culture and boost ratings, sources said, pointing to the fact that the FCC recently said Skydance has committed to eliminate DEI programs at Parmount.
“There’s a ton of internal politics,” another CBS insider said.
“It’s the ‘Hunger Games.’ Everybody’s focused on that and yet they are mired in third place and have been for decades.”
A fourth insider with deep knowledge of the network culture and organization added: “The culture at CBS News prevents progress.”
“There is something just ingrained in a place that was once so great that they can’t quite see the fact that to remain and be great again – whatever that looks like in 2025 and beyond – it requires doing things differently.”
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