Gayle King is reportedly expected to part ways with CBS Mornings in 2026 amid the network’s overhaul following its recent merger with Skydance Media.
Variety reported on Thursday, October 30, that King, 70, is expected to depart as an anchor next year. Her contract is set to expire in May 2026. The outlet reported that there is potential for King to stay on in a different role at the news division amid the ongoing changes at CBS.
A CBS News spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement, “There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026. She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”
Us has reached out to King for comment.
CBS News Star John Dickerson Announces Abrupt Exit After 16 Years
King has been an anchor on CBS Mornings since joining the program in 2012. Before that, she was a correspondent for Good Morning America.
There have been many staff changes at CBS following its merger with Paramount and Skydance Media earlier this year. Skydance Media first acquired National Amusements Inc., which controlled Paramount Global. In July, the Federal Communications Commission approved the transaction and the companies merged the following month.
David Ellison was announced as the Chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance. Ellison subsequently appointed Bari Weiss as the editor in chief of CBS News.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bari and The Free Press to Paramount and CBS News. Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement at the time. “This move is part of Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects — directly and passionately — to audiences around the world.”
This past month, there have been major layoffs at CBS, with thousands of employees affected. Earlier this week, CBS Evening News anchor John Dickerson announced he was leaving the program after nearly two decades at the end of the year.
“Local news: At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in as Face the Nation anchor for the first time,” the journalist, 57, wrote via Instagram alongside photos from throughout his career on Monday, October 27. “I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history — and I am grateful for my dear colleagues who’ve made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you.”
Dickerson did not reveal a reason for his exit nor any plans for his future.
Gayle King Marks 12 Years at ‘CBS Mornings’ in Original First-Day Dress
Another controversial change CBS made earlier this year was canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The longtime late night program will sign off for good in May 2026.
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced,” Colbert told viewers in July. “This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.”
Despite the cancellation news, Colbert went on to win an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series.
“Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it,” he said in his speech. “Ten years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor!”
