Gayle King will remain at CBS News, says rumors of exit were ‘inaccurate and greatly exaggerated’
Gayle King signed a new deal to remain at CBS News after widespread speculation she would exit at the end of her current contract, the network announced on Wednesday.
King’s sticking around comes at a critical time for CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has promised significant changes to the organization since she was tapped by CEO David Ellison to reshape the Tiffany Network’s news division. Variety had reported that King was expected to step down as co-host of "CBS Mornings" later this year after more than a decade, but Weiss put that to bed.
"There is only one Gayle King. We’re so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home," Weiss said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We’re thrilled to have her on in the morning—and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences."
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"Rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated," King said. "CBS News is my longtime home, and I am committed to our mission. I’m excited about continuing at ‘CBS Mornings.’ As always, I’m open to new adventures here and ready to go. It took a minute, but we got there. And now that we are here, I am all in."
Terms of King’s new deal were not disclosed.
King joined CBS News in 2012 and was part of the network's morning show relaunch, then called "CBS This Morning." While other co-hosts have rotated in and out of the program over the years, King kept her seat.
Weiss was able to retain King weeks after Anderson Cooper’s exit reportedly shocked network leadership. Puck News reported last month that Weiss and the network's top brass expected Cooper to renew his contract and remain on board as a "60 Minutes" correspondent, who first joined nearly 20 years ago.
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Last October, King spoke out amid reports she would exit "CBS Mornings" when her contract expired.
"All I can say is this, from what I'm being told inside this building... all I've been told by everybody in this building is that they want me here, they like the job I'm doing, I like the job I'm doing," King told TMZ at the time.
"I like the job and the people that I work with, so I don't know what to tell you," King continued. "What I'm hearing in the building is not what I'm reading in the press. And what I'm not going to do is negotiate it in the media. Not doing that... all I know is I am here — I am here and glad to be here."
Retaining King is a win for Weiss, who recently told staffers they are "not producing a product that enough people want" by focusing on linear television during an all-hands town hall event in which she laid out her vision for the network.
Last week, veteran CBS News producer Mary Walsh exited the network in dramatic fashion, suggesting the organization has been told to aim reporting at a particular political party. That same month, "CBS Evening News" producer Alicia Hastey quit and suggested there "has been a sweeping new vision prioritizing a break from traditional broadcast norms to embrace what has been described as ‘heterodox’ journalism."