The Shocking CBS Mornings Anchor Shakeup: 5 Key Figures Affected By The 2025 Restructuring

The landscape of morning news is undergoing a dramatic and unprecedented transformation, and no network is feeling the pressure more acutely than CBS. As of late 2025, the persistent rumors of "CBS Morning News anchors fired" have materialized into a complex reality of high-profile promotions, strategic exits, and significant layoffs, all stemming from a massive corporate restructuring under new CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and the broader David Ellison cost-cutting mandate. This is not a simple case of poor ratings, but rather a calculated, top-down overhaul that has sent shockwaves through the industry, affecting some of the most recognizable faces on *CBS Mornings* and its weekend counterpart. The current upheaval is one of the most significant in the show's history since its rebrand from *CBS This Morning*, creating both opportunities and casualties. The changes are deeply rooted in a corporate effort to streamline operations, address redundancies, and reshape the network's overall editorial direction. This deep dive reveals the exact status of the anchors involved, the reasons behind their departures, and what it means for the future of the network’s flagship morning program.

The 2025 CBS News Restructuring: Who Was Fired, Who Was Promoted, and Who Is Next?

The recent movements at CBS News are part of a massive, company-wide cost-cutting and strategic restructuring effort that has been underway throughout 2024 and 2025. This overhaul, spearheaded by the controversial appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, has resulted in a series of layoffs across the organization, directly impacting the talent pool of the morning news division. The narrative is a mix of high-stakes corporate maneuvering and personal career shifts. The term "fired" is loaded, and in the context of the 2025 changes, it applies more accurately to the wave of layoffs hitting the network, particularly those affecting the weekend team. Other key figures have been affected by promotions or have been the subject of intense exit speculation.

1. Tony Dokoupil: The Promotion That Sparked the Shift

Tony Dokoupil's departure from the *CBS Mornings* desk was the first domino to fall in the recent shakeup, though his exit was a major career elevation, not a firing. * Status: Promoted * New Role: Anchor of *CBS Evening News* * Impact on *CBS Mornings*: Dokoupil, a mainstay since 2019, was named the new anchor of the network's flagship nightly broadcast in December 2025, succeeding John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. This move was one of the first major decisions announced by Bari Weiss and immediately created a vacant seat on the *CBS Mornings* couch, signaling that no anchor was truly "safe" from change. His promotion is a clear sign of the new management's faith in his journalistic profile.

2. Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson: The Confirmed Layoffs

The most direct answer to the "anchors fired" query lies with the network's weekend team, who were confirmed to be exiting the network as part of the broader cost-cutting measures. * Status: Exiting/Laid Off * Role: Co-anchors of the Saturday edition of *CBS Mornings* * Impact on *CBS Mornings*: Both Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, who co-anchored the Saturday broadcast, were announced to be exiting the network as part of a significant round of layoffs and cancellations affecting multiple CBS News shows. While the network framed it as "exiting as part of the cuts," for many, this is the functional definition of being fired or laid off due to corporate restructuring. This move highlights the strategic decision to trim costs, even at the expense of experienced on-air talent.

3. Gayle King: The Center of Exit Speculation

Perhaps the most high-stakes question in the entire restructuring revolves around the future of *CBS Mornings*' most recognizable and highest-paid anchor, Gayle King. * Status: Rumored to be Expected to Leave/Not Safe * Impact on *CBS Mornings*: Multiple high-profile reports and sources suggest that King is "expected to leave" her role as lead anchor amid the major newsroom shakeup. Other reports indicate that King is "not safe" due as cost-cuts and collapsing ratings fuel panic behind the scenes. While King has publicly reacted to the reported ousting, her continued presence remains a point of intense speculation. Her status is the key indicator of how deep the new management is willing to go to reshape the show.

The Corporate and Editorial Forces Driving the Departures

The recent anchor movements are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a larger corporate and editorial shift at CBS News. Understanding these forces is crucial to grasping why these changes happened now.

The Bari Weiss Effect and Editorial Direction

The appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief in late 2024 marked the beginning of a new, controversial era at CBS News. Weiss, a former opinion journalist, was expected to shake up the network, and her early moves have confirmed this intention. * Strategic Appointments: The promotion of Tony Dokoupil was one of her first significant moves, which some critics viewed as uninspiring, while others noted his history of defending Israel on-air, linking the appointment to Weiss's own political leanings. * Culture Shift: Weiss's first month was characterized by layoffs, confusion, and shifting expectations, with the newsroom culture reportedly in flux as the new direction takes hold. The focus appears to be on creating a leaner, more editorially distinct news division.

Cost-Cutting and Redundancies

The most straightforward reason for the "firings" of the weekend anchors is a massive, multi-billion dollar cost-cutting initiative across the parent company, Paramount. * Mass Layoffs: The broader restructuring involved trimming more than $2 billion in expenses, which resulted in roughly 1000 staffers being laid off across the company. The memo from leadership explicitly stated that the network was "addressing redundancies" and "phasing out roles that are no longer" necessary. * Impact on Weekend Shows: The cancellation of shows and the laying off of anchors like Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson for the Saturday edition of *CBS Mornings* were a direct result of these financial mandates, designed to make the network more efficient. This has raised questions about racial equity in employment, given the diversity of some of the affected staff.

Historical Precedent: The Shadow of Charlie Rose

While the 2025 shakeup is driven by corporate strategy, it is impossible to discuss *CBS Mornings* anchor exits without acknowledging the most explosive "firing" in the show's history: Charlie Rose. Rose, a former co-anchor of *CBS This Morning* (the show's previous iteration), was abruptly fired in November 2017 following multiple allegations of sexual harassment. * The Immediate Fallout: Rose's immediate termination was a true firing based on personal conduct, not corporate strategy. The show was thrown into chaos, and it took the network years to stabilize the lineup. * The Aftermath: The network brought in John Dickerson to fill the vacant seat alongside Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell. Dickerson himself later became a high-profile figure to exit the network amid concerns about its ownership and direction, though his departure was a resignation. This history underscores the network's long-standing struggle to maintain a stable and cohesive morning team.

What’s Next for the CBS Mornings Desk?

With Tony Dokoupil gone and the fate of Gayle King uncertain, the focus has immediately shifted to who will fill the vacant co-host seat. The network has not yet announced a permanent replacement, keeping the audience and the industry in suspense. * Potential Replacements: Names being floated as potential new co-hosts include current correspondents and featured hosts like Vladimir Duthiers, who has been with CBS News since 2014, and David Del Rio. * Ratings Context: The changes come at a time when *CBS Mornings* has shown flashes of strength, including a historic #1 finish with viewers on a day in February 2024, beating *Good Morning America*. The show also saw gains in total viewers in December 2025. The challenge for the new management is to leverage these gains and find a co-host who can maintain the show's momentum while fitting into the new editorial vision. The "CBS Morning News anchors fired" narrative, therefore, is a complex tapestry of layoffs, promotions, and strategic restructuring. While some anchors were indeed laid off as part of a cost-cutting measure, the biggest news is the promotion of Dokoupil and the intense speculation surrounding the future of Gayle King, all driven by the seismic shifts occurring under the new leadership at CBS News.

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