Gayle King will remain on CBS, signing a new deal to extend her co-hosting of ”CBS Mornings.”
Rumors suggesting King’s departure from the Paramount-owned network have been put to rest, according to The Wall Street Journal.
She’s Staying
The length and terms of the deal were not disclosed, though her previous contract was set to expire in May 2026, Deadline reported.
Some rumors persist that King took a drastic pay cut. Her future at the network was uncertain after the newly appointed editor in chief, Bari Weiss, wanted to trim her salary or shrink her role as part of Paramount Global’s restructuring, according to WSJ.
As Finurah previously reported, King’s 15-year tenure at CBS was rumored to bring her a salary of $10 million. There was also speculation that she was unhappy with Weiss’ new direction for the CBS News brand — which has drawn criticism from media observers and audiences alike — and planned to walk away from the network, anonymous insiders said unanimously.
Regardless, King, 71, remains the highest-paid on-air talent at CBS News, pulling in an annual eight-figure salary, The Los Angeles Times reported.
King addressed the speculation head-on in a statement that quickly made headlines. “Rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated. CBS News is my longtime home… I’m all in,” she declared, Deadline reported.
CBS News leadership wasted no time celebrating the news. “There is only one Gayle King. We’re so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home… excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences,” Weiss said, according to WSJ.
Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, called King and her co-host Nate Burleson “fantastic partners” and expressed excitement about evolving the morning show together.
King currently shares the desk with Burleson, and the network has not yet named a third co-host after Tony Dokoupil departed to anchor “CBS Evening News.”
The veteran journalist has anchored CBS’s morning program since 2012, when she joined “CBS This Morning” alongside Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell.
The program was rebranded as CBS Mornings in 2021, with King stepping into an even more prominent role.
Ratings-wise, the show averaged 1.9 million viewers in the fourth quarter of 2025, placing it third behind NBC’s Today at 2.9 million and ABC’s Good Morning America at 2.7 million, Deadline reported.
The renewal comes at an unstable moment for CBS News.
The high-profile move also follows a notable CBS departure. Anderson Cooper chose not to renew his contract as a correspondent for “60 Minutes.”
