Key Points
- John Dickerson will leave CBS News at the end of 2025 after co-anchoring “CBS Evening News” for the past year.
- The move comes amid leadership changes and cost-cutting at Paramount Skydance.
- Dickerson’s exit raises questions about the show’s direction and future leadership.
John Dickerson is leaving CBS News after six years in various roles with the news organization, he confirmed in a memo written to staffers on Monday.
Dickerson has served as the co-anchor of the “CBS Evening News” with fellow journalist Maurice DuBois since last year, and joined CBS News as a fill-in anchor in 2019. In his note, Dickerson said he was grateful to the network for the opportunity to appear on television every day, and did not say where he would land next.
“I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being part of the network’s history — and I am grateful for my dear colleagues who’ve made me a better journalist and a better human,” Dickerson wrote in a social media post Monday. “I will miss you.”
Dickerson’s departure is expected to spark renewed discussion about the direction of “CBS Evening News,” which has struggled to gain ground in the ratings since the network began placing less emphasis on breaking news.
CBS executives have recently started contacting talent agencies to explore potential replacements, according to trade publication Variety.
CBS News President Tom Cibrowski confirmed Dickerson’s departure was his choice, and not influenced by anyone at the network, which has been in the middle of a transformation since before Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media.
Earlier this month, Paramount announced its intention to acquire “The Free Press,” an e-mail newsletter founded by former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss, a move that also saw Weiss installed as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Claudia Milne, the Head of Standards at CBS News, also announced plans to depart at the end of her contract — a signal of broader uncertainty within the newsroom as the division’s new leadership takes shape.
Dickerson was among several Paramount employees who were critical of the company’s decision to settle a multi-billion dollar lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump before he won the 2024 presidential election last year. The lawsuit involved frivolous and unfounded allegations of news distortion in connection with a “60 Minutes” interview involving his then-political rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Legal experts said Paramount was likely to succeed in the lawsuit on First Amendment grounds if the company decided to fight it. For months, it appeared things were moving in that direction, but Paramount ultimately decided to settle the matter for $16 million in order to help its merger with Skydance Media move through certain regulatory processes. After the settlement, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the transfer of CBS-held broadcast licenses from Paramount to Skydance, one of the last orders of business before the deal could close.
“The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle. Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you’ve traded away that trust? The audience will decide that,” Dickerson questioned during his “Reporter’s Notebook” segment on the Evening News.
He continued: “Our job is to show up to honor what we witness on behalf of the people.”
In addition to editorial shifts, CBS News is expected to face layoffs as Paramount Skydance seeks to streamline operations and reduce costs following the merger with Skydance.
Those layoffs are set to begin as soon as this week, according to reports. As many as 2,000 Paramount employees could lose their jobs by the time the layoffs are finalized in the coming months.
More Stories
- Reports: Paramount expected to issue pink slips next week
- Paramount buys the Free Press, Bari Weiss takes over at CBS News
- Report: Taylor Sheridan leaving Paramount for NBC Universal
- Paramount names Kenneth Weinstein as CBS News ombudsman
- CBS News picks Kim Harvey to lead “CBS Evening News”
- Wendy McMahon resigns from Paramount’s CBS News and Stations
