TENSIONS EXPLODE Inside CBS As Staff Turn On Gayle King While Employee EXPOSES INTERNAL BLOODBATH That Could Change EVERYTHING At The Network
After CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon announced her resignation, staff have been fighting in the office and some people have started resenting Gayle King, it has been claimed
A source claimed that some staffers ‘resent’ Gayle King(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Some staff members at CBS News have started “resenting” Gayle King since her space mission last month, one employee has claimed, as the TV personality faces negotiations to renew her work contract.
The network has seen ratings plummet and a staffer described the situation as a “bloodbath” while claiming that colleagues are worried for their careers amid an $8 billion merger and a $20 billion lawsuit Donald Trump filed over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris last fall. Just days ago, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon resigned, sparking more upheaval within the network as its owning entity, Paramount Global, ponders a settlement with Trump.
In her email to the team, the CEO, who heads up the network’s news division as well as the newscasts for CBS local stations, expressed, “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media requires federal approval, particularly from the FCC, which must approve transfer of CBS’ broadcast licenses. And while legal experts agree that the President’s lawsuit is baseless, it is believed the outcome could influence whether the deal moves forward.
Wendy McMahon has announced her resignation(Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Speaking to the Daily Mail, some staff members have expressed their discontent, claiming that people have been crying in the hallways, fighting over story coverage and updating their resumes amid fears they could be fired. One pointed out that the debate around the all-female Blue Origin flight, which TV host Gayle took part in, “really hurt” the team – and resulted in staffers developing resentment towards the 70-year-old journalist.
A person working at 60 Minutes said, “It’s marquee name after marquee name. People don’t want to say it out loud in the office but the entire space debacle really hurt us. Gayle being part of that is not a good look for our brand.” They added, “I think a lot of people resent Gayle for that. I know I do.”
One Early Show producer also claimed there was a general sense of embarrassment, saying, “I almost feel like apologizing when I tell people where I work. I hate it here.” Staff at 60 Minutes described the atmosphere as a “sinking ship” with one employee saying, “We’re in the middle of a bloodbath. The axe is falling, people are leaving, no one knows what to do next. We’re all updating our resumes because it really feels like this is a sinking ship.”
Bill Owens quit as executive producer of 60 Minutes last month(Image: Getty Images)
According to the Daily Mail, the insider also described “fights” in the office with people “arguing over everything and anything” – including story coverage and seating plans in the conference room. Tensions began to rise in April when 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens quit, expressing concerns about editorial independence and mentioning his inability to “make independent decisions based on what was right for the audience.”
The newspaper also reported that 60 Minutes’ longtime correspondents Lesley Stahl and Scott Pelley will supposedly be the next to quit after Wendy’s surprise departure. Meanwhile, Gayle, who has hosted CBS Mornings for almost 15 years, faces negotiations to renew her contract, according to what sources told The New York Post.
Industry insiders revealed that the the host’s $10 million salary is becoming too hard to justify with CBS Mornings’ declining show ratings. According to The Post, Gayle’s yearly salary was already cut down from $13 million to $10 million in 2024 when she signed a new one-year deal at the time. “This could be Gayle’s last year,” one source told the Tiffany Network.
Gayle returning to Earth after the space flight last month(Image: Blue Origin/Youtube)
With Wendy now gone, CBS News President Tom Cibrowski is attempting to keep the ship running, but that could become increasingly harder if Gayle bows out also. “Tom doesn’t have enough hands to plug the holes in the dam,” a CBS insider shared, adding that Gayle leaving would put an additional stress on the veteran program as it be another problem to solve.
As early as next month, Paramount is planning to make another round of big budget cuts as part of its goal of cutting $500 million. Hypothetically, if Skydance and Paramount’s deal goes through, new management from Skydance are speculated to also making budget cuts, per The Post. “The first year of the merger will just be consolidation,” the source told the news outlet.
The Irish Star has contacted CBS News and Gayle King’s representative for comment.