CBS News Loses Anchor Amid New Boss Taking Over

A major shift is coming to one of the country’s oldest newsrooms.

John Dickerson, longtime CBS political analyst and current co-anchor of CBS Evening News, announced he’ll be stepping down in December — marking a big shake-up just weeks after Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief at CBS News.

Dickerson, who has been with CBS since 2009, said in an Instagram post that his last day will come at the end of the year. He reflected on his years with the network, saying, “I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me— the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history.”

This announcement didn’t just surprise viewers. It caught the media world off guard, too. While Dickerson had only recently taken over the anchor desk alongside Maurice DuBois after Norah O’Donnell stepped down, the show’s ratings didn’t improve. In fact, they continued to slip, trailing behind ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC’s Nightly News.

Now, all eyes are on what Weiss plans to do next.

Bari Weiss, a former New York Times writer who rose to prominence after challenging the paper’s internal politics and then launching her own independent media platform, officially joined CBS News earlier this month. She’s known for her sharp commentary and a reputation for pushing against mainstream narratives. Some insiders are already calling her leadership a “reset” for CBS — one that may include more shakeups behind the scenes and on camera.

So far, Weiss hasn’t publicly commented on Dickerson’s departure. But it hasn’t gone unnoticed that his exit comes shortly after another high-level staff member, head of standards Claudia Milne, also said she was leaving the network.

Inside CBS, conversations have reportedly started about who might replace Dickerson. There’s talk that Tony Dokoupil — co-host of CBS Mornings — is on the short list. Others are floating a return for Norah O’Donnell, who stepped away from the anchor chair earlier this year.

And then there’s the big wild card.