Katie Couric Slams CBS Over Anchor Shake-Up — Says Replacing O’Donnell With Two Men Proves the Network Still Doesn’t Get It
The move was swift — but the backlash was louder. As criticism mounts over a decision that feels decades behind, insiders say the fallout may have just begun.
CBS’s decision to replace longtime anchor Norah O’Donnell with a two-man team has sparked a wave of backlash — and Katie Couric isn’t holding back. In a candid interview, the former CBS Evening News host called the move “disappointing” and accused the network of being “out of touch” with the values of modern audiences.
Couric, who broke barriers herself as one of the first solo female anchors in prime time, said the replacement felt like “a step backward dressed up as strategy.” Her comments come amid growing criticism from media analysts and viewers who question why CBS would sideline one of its most recognizable female voices in favor of a male duo.
Sources close to the network say the decision was driven by ratings and internal restructuring, but the timing — and optics — have ignited a broader conversation about gender equity in broadcast journalism.
While CBS has yet to respond publicly to Couric’s remarks, insiders say the tension behind the scenes is real. And with the new team set to debut this fall, all eyes are on whether the gamble will pay off — or backfire.
Katie Couric accused her former employer of being “out of touch” on Sunday after “CBS Evening News” announced it would be replacing host Norah O’Donnell with two male anchors, which she argued was “odd.”
“It was more than a little disappointing to read that Ms. O’Donnell would be replaced by two men, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois,” Couric wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times, noting that she respected both Dickerson and DuBois. “The two people who will be greeting Americans watching evening newscasts will be men.”
O’Donnell announced in July that she would be stepping down from her position as lead anchor on “CBS Evening News” to move to a different role at CBS. Couric also previously held the lead anchor position at “CBS Evening News,” and left the network in 2011.
“It’s odd and more than a little out of touch that even while CBS has announced a restructuring that introduces an additional layer of women executives, the leading editorial decision makers will mostly be men,” Couric continued.
Katie Couric took aim at CBS News, her former employer, over hiring two men to replace “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell. (Left: (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images), (Right: Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She argued that Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign demanded a diverse group of reporters.
“We’re also in the midst of a campaign that could result in the election of the first woman president, and first woman of color as president. It’s a potentially historic story — one that needs a diverse group of journalists covering it,” Couric wrote.
CBS News announced that “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan would also be providing regular reporting for the program from Washington, D.C.
Couric argued it was even more disappointing that the people behind the scenes at “CBS Evening News” are “three White men: Bill Owens, Guy Campanile and Jerry Cipriano.”
Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports and Katie Couric, CBS Television Anchor and Managing Editor speak during the Television Critics Association Press Tour for CBS at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on July 16, 2006, in Pasadena, California. ((Photo Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images).)
She praised Cipriano, who she said was her “right-hand writer,” while she worked at the network, but lamented “male writers occasionally have blind spots.”
“While I was at CBS, I read copy written by one of my male colleagues describing Hillary Clinton in a way that struck me as subtly sexist. I asked my team, ‘Would you describe a male candidate this way?’ We rewrote it,” Couric said.
“‘CBS Evening News’ has been in third place for decades. While I couldn’t move the needle during my time as anchor, I had hoped to open minds,” Couric concluded. “Traditional broadcast news may be waning, but more than half of the viewing population should still demand more from the industry. Until then, once again, nightly network newscasts are the purview of a few good men.”