• Facebook
• Twitter
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email

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.

A longtime network morning show veteran believes Gayle King "has lost a lot of her leverage" as "CBS Mornings" is mired in third place with an ownership change looming. 

The FCC approved a long-planned, $8 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media last month which will soon place CBS News under new ownership. The deal, which is set to close Thursday, will see Skydance CEO David Ellison take control of the Tiffany Network and its struggling news division. 

Industry insiders believe Ellison, who was spotted sitting with President Donald Trump at a UFC event in April, will aim to eliminate the perceived liberal slant at CBS News. Ellison’s team has already committed to appointing an ombudsman to oversee CBS News content, and staffers are bracing for other changes as Skydance honchos put their stamp on the network. 

CBS STAFFERS SPECULATE ON GAYLE KING'S FUTURE AS NETWORK BOSSES PUSH 'EDITORIAL SHIFT' ON STRUGGLING AM SHOW

"CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King reports for CBS Mornings live from the United Center in Chicago for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. (Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images)

This has put a spotlight on King’s "CBS Mornings," which has never seriously challenged NBC’s "Today" or ABC’s "Good Morning America" for any substantial length of time, instead settling for a perennial third-place finish among all relevant viewership measurables. 

"CBS Mornings," co-anchored by King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson, averaged 1.8 million total viewers during July, compared to 2.7 million for "GMA" and 2.4 million for "Today." 

While third place is nothing new for CBS’ morning show, the program is also steadily losing viewers. 

"CBS Mornings" averaged 1.9 million viewers in 2025 through July 27, shedding 10% of the 2.2 million it averaged during the same time period in 2024. The ratings drop is even worse among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, as "CBS Mornings" has averaged 332,000 demo viewers in 2025—a loss of a quarter of the 441,000 it managed in 2024. 

NBC’s "Today" and ABC’s "Good Morning America" have also lost viewers compared to the first seven months of 2024, but the declines are not as severe as the drop-off at CBS. 

CBS HOST GAYLE KING INSISTS DEI MEANS ‘DEFINITELY EARNED IT’

Gayle King kisses the ground after exiting the Blue Origin hatch. (Courtesy: Blue Origin)

"CBS Mornings" has also lost 6% of total viewers and 18% in the demo when comparing its average audience since Election Day 2024 to the period before President Trump’s victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

King, who has long been the subject of often-unflattering tabloid fodder, has not helped "CBS Mornings" increase its audience despite the free publicity she generates by hobnobbing with A-listers. King is regularly on red carpets and often posts photos at lavish events. The high-paid anchor was photographed alongside Oprah Winfrey and Kris Jenner lounging on a yacht off the coast of Spain in July after attending Jeff Bezos’ $50 million wedding.

In April, King drew criticism when she was part of an all-female crew for a 10-minute Blue Origin space flight. Some complained about the environmental impact, and others questioned if the brief flight was a worthwhile use of resources. 

The Blue Origin space flight gave "CBS Mornings" a brief bump, but the program has since lost 5% of its 2025 total viewers and 17% of demo viewers since the day King went to space. 

The ownership change has led to industry chatter that changes are inevitable, with much speculation around King and whether incoming executives will keep her around when her contract expires—reportedly in May 2026. 

"Gayle is the only CBS News employee making eight figures, and she’s gotten anything she wants for years, including choosing her executive producer [Shawna Thomas] and doing alienating coverage out of touch with the CBS viewer," a longtime network morning show producer told Fox News Digital. 

"Now that the numbers are slipping badly, Gayle has lost a lot of her leverage," they continued. "Combine that with her embarrassing space flight and her tasteless swanning around on David Geffen’s yacht last month with Kris Jenner, and she’s due for a big pay cut and a comeuppance." 

King has also been a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which is something Ellison’s team has promised to dismantle at CBS. She also sparked backlash for taking a 2017 vacation with the Obamas while she worked on a show that covered politics. At the time, King insisted her trip to Tahiti alongside the former president was not political, but her cozy relationship with the former First Family helped tarnish the reputation of CBS News—something incoming management is believed to want to distance itself from.

GAYLE KING DISAPPOINTED BY BACKLASH TO BLUE ORIGIN FLIGHT, ACCUSES CRITICS OF SEXISM 

CBS Mornings Co-Hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate Burleson with CBS Mornings and CBS News Streaming Network Anchor and Correspondent Vladimir Duthiers, and CBS Mornings Executive Producer Shawna Thomas. ( Michele Crowe/CBS News)

A CBS News staffer recently told Fox News Digital that King is "insulated by her team," which includes Thomas. However, an "editorial shift" is 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," they continued. "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."

The staffer believes 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 with Trump or the Paramount-Skydance merger.

In September, "CBS Mornings" will ditch its studio in Times Square and return to CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street in New York City. It remains to be seen what other changes are on the horizon once Skydance executives begin to put their mark on the division.

CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. 

• ·打造全域人机协同、产研共融的全域实训场
• ·Matt Rife e.l.f. ad campaign sparks social media backlash over past jokes
• ·西南华南等地强降雨持续 大范围高温天气将上线
• ·我，维度魔神，在线拯救世界
• ·湖北马术主力队员于程昊：马术让我坚韧善良 未来选择回馈母校武汉商学院
• ·险胜韩国，中国男篮时隔十年重返亚洲杯四强
• ·《弹丸论破》没有新作，但它的身影又无处不在
• ·左右开弓拳拳到“肉”！宇树机器人擂台格斗紧张刺激
• ·宿州市：倡导文明祭扫 打造“绿色清明”
• ·亚洲杯夺冠赔率:澳大利亚低至1.28 中国男篮列第2
• ·北京8月16日升级发布地质灾害气象风险黄色预警
• ·人在综漫，开局弑杀神明
• ·《羊蹄山之魂》新实机宣传片 展示武器锁镰
• ·樱井政博纪念工作室成立20周年 近期会公布卡比新作消息
• ·投资黄浦月月签！擦亮“宜商黄浦”和“外滩营商”金字招牌
• ·《明末：渊虚之羽》游戏摄影美图 绝美女主靓丽风景