After decades of anchoring major broadcasts and becoming one of the most recognizable faces on morning television, Gayle King may soon be saying goodbye to CBS.
But this isn’t just about her — it’s part of a much bigger shake-up at the network, one that’s tangled in a multi-billion-dollar merger, tanking ratings, and internal chaos.
Her Contract Is Almost Up — and the Timing Couldn’t Be Worse
Insiders say King’s one-year deal with CBS is coming to an end this September.
And this time, there’s a real chance she might not be coming back.
The veteran anchor, who’s been a key figure on CBS Mornings, is reportedly facing serious headwinds as the network tries to slash costs and rethink its strategy amid a major merger with Skydance.
Her salary, once a staggering $13 million and currently believed to be just above $10 million, is apparently too steep for CBS to justify anymore — especially considering the show’s ratings slump.
One source even said it would be a “miracle” if she landed another one-year extension.
Ratings Slump Leaves Little Room to Negotiate
To make matters worse, CBS Mornings has been struggling in the ratings.
While a spike happened when King briefly went to space on April 14 — pulling in 3.9 million viewers that morning — the bump was short-lived.
In comparison, NBC’s Today pulled in an average of 2.49 million viewers that week, and ABC’s Good Morning America saw about 2.65 million.
CBS couldn’t keep the momentum going and slipped back into third place.
Its total viewership has now dipped below the 2 million mark, with Today and GMA both sitting comfortably above 2.6 million.
One insider close to the situation bluntly put it: “Skydance is definitely not going to keep her with those numbers.”
Network Turmoil Making Things Even Harder
All this is happening while CBS News is facing major internal disruptions.
Just recently, longtime 60 Minutes executive Bill Owens stepped down.
And on Monday, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon announced she’s also leaving.
Now, CBS News President Tom Cibrowski is left to juggle multiple fires at once.
“Tom doesn’t have enough hands to plug the holes in the dam,” one insider remarked — adding that losing King could be yet another major headache he’d have to handle.
CBS’ Parent Company Tightens Its Belt
Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is preparing for more cost-cutting measures.
They’re expected to lay off even more employees in the coming month in a push to trim $500 million from the budget ahead of the proposed merger with Skydance.
And if the merger goes through, insiders believe that the belt-tightening won’t stop there.
“The first year of the merger will just be consolidation,” said one source.
Another insider emphasized that Gayle King’s contract simply hasn’t been a priority. “There are clearly other things to focus on right now.”
A $20 Billion Trump Lawsuit Adds More Fuel to the Fire
Adding even more drama to CBS News’ already full plate is a massive $20 billion lawsuit from former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit centers on a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris from 2020, which Trump claims was deceptively edited.
CBS has defended itself, saying Harris simply gave a long-winded response that was trimmed for time.
But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now investigating whether that editing violated any rules about “news distortion.”
And here’s where it gets sticky — the FCC is refusing to approve the CBS–Skydance merger until that lawsuit is settled.
Shari Redstone, the Paramount heiress pushing for the merger, reportedly wants to get the lawsuit resolved quickly to help smooth things over with regulators.
King’s Fate Still Uncertain as CBS Rebuilds
So where does all of this leave Gayle King? The answer right now is: no one really knows.
While some insiders think CBS might just let her go due to her high salary and low ratings, others believe the network would rather avoid a major shake-up in the morning lineup.
Either way, it’s clear that CBS News is in the middle of a storm — and whether Gayle King remains part of the future or becomes part of the past may depend on decisions that have little to do with her and everything to do with dollars, lawsuits, and executive power plays.