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Gayle King calls Colbert cancellation by CBS a 'kick in the stomach'

'CBS Mornings' hosts reacted with sadness and surprise to the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' that was announced Thursday.

CBS staffers are speculating whether their longtime morning show star Gayle King will have a long future ahead of her as network bosses implement changes to her program. 

King, the liberal co-host of "CBS Mornings," has struggled to give CBS a ratings lift despite having a roster of A-list pals like Oprah Winfrey and her mega salary ranging from $10-15 million per year, according to reports. During the month of July, CBS' marquee morning program averaged 1.8 million total viewers, trailing behind ABC's "Good Morning America" with 2.6 million and NBC's "Today" with 2.4 million. 

"A lot of people like how she says off-the-wall things. But also there’s people that don’t like it," one CBS staffer told Fox News Digital about how King's colleagues feel about her. "Anytime you have a big name, they are going to be a target." 

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CBS staffers are speculating about the future of longtime "CBS Morning" co-host Gayle King, one network insider tells Fox News Digital. ( Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)

King is "generally liked" within the network and "still has a lot of power in the morning when it comes to things she wants."

"She is insulated by her team and ["CBS Mornings" executive producer Shawna Thomas] a good bit. But so are [co-hosts Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil] to an extent," the staffer said. 

Perhaps puncturing a hole in King's bubble is the "editorial shift" being pushed by CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski and his No. 2 Wendy Fisher, the network's senior vice president of editorial.

"They’re changing story selection and tweaking the show some," the CBS staffer said. "I know Tom has been involved in the show heavily though… He wants us to focus on stories outside of major cities and in the middle of the country. Stories that affect real people and that they’re talking about at home. Lots of economic stories."

"You can see Tom’s work in the show- they’ve added [former "Good Morning America" meteorologist Rob Marciano] full-time, tweaked teases, and you even see more camera movement and dramatics similar to 'GMA,'" they continued. "I don’t know that Shawna has pushed back on Tom, but I do know he has had his hand in tweaks on the show especially recently."

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CBS News president Tom Cibrowski has been leading an "editorial shift" on "CBS Mornings," according to a network staffer. (CBS News)

Cibrowski joined CBS News in March after a 30-year stint at ABC News, following in the footsteps of Fisher, who similarly joined the network in April 2024 after a three-decade stint at the Disney-owned rival. 

"Everyone I’ve talked to is super happy with him," the CBS staffer said of Cibrowski. "He’s a steady hand and has a proven track record. He’s extremely respected internally. So is Wendy." 

The staffer is convinced that the changes Cibrowski has implemented over the past couple of months are him "putting his mark on the division" and have nothing to do with the parent company Paramount's settlement to President Donald Trump or the forthcoming Paramount-Skydance merger set to close Thursday. 

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"The editorial changes I've seen feel more focused on growing the shows and stories that resonate better than making changes based on pressure from up top," they said. "He just got here in the spring so he's just getting to a point now where he knows everyone and everything and is changing things based on his vision is the impression I get."

Expect more editorial changes in the coming weeks, the staffer says, before "CBS Mornings" packs up and leaves its studio in Times Square and returns to CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street in New York City in September. 

King, joined by her "CBS Mornings" colleagues and "CBS Mornings" executive producer Shawna Thomas, will be packing up their things from their luxurious Times Square studio and moving back to CBS Broadcast Center. ( Michele Crowe/CBS News)

There has been a lot of chatter about Skydance CEO David Ellison and how he envisions the future of CBS News, including whether it includes King. 

The CBS staffer suggests the current network leadership has a contingency plan, as they "started to groom" Adrianna Diaz as the "heir" to the 70-year-old host when she was tapped to co-host the third hour of the program, dubbed "CBS Mornings Plus."

"People are talking about it because Gayle is our biggest star, but also I don’t think anyone cares that much," the staffer said. "I think everyone just wants stability, so from that standpoint, people want her to stay."

CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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