Gayle King isn’t going anywhere — at least not yet.
After reports began circulating that the longtime CBS Mornings anchor was preparing to leave the show next year, CBS News is setting the record straight.
“There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026,” a CBS News spokesperson told People on October 30. “She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”
The rumors began shortly after CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, announced a shake-up within the network — including the cancellation of a CBS Mornings streaming program. The move fueled speculation that Gayle might step away from the anchor desk, possibly taking on a different role within the company. But for today, it looks like viewers can expect to keep waking up with Gayle on their screens.
The Emmy-winning journalist, 70, has been a mainstay at CBS since 2012, when she first joined CBS This Morning alongside Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell. Over the years, she’s shared the anchor desk with several cohosts, including Anthony Mason, and currently leads CBS Mornings with Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson.
Throughout her 13 years at the network, Gayle has delivered countless headline-making interviews, sitting down with everyone from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to her close friend Oprah Winfrey. But her most iconic on-air moment remains her 2019 interview with R. Kelly, which went viral after the disgraced singer became visibly agitated and began shouting.
“It escalated rather quickly,” Gayle recalled to People that same year. “It went from 0 to 200. When it’s happening in that moment, you don’t really feel it. I could tell he was getting a little angry, I could see that, but I didn’t expect it to go there.”
“When he jumped out of the chair, and he’s hitting, and he’s screaming, and spit is flying because he’s angry, I just thought, ‘You can’t respond in kind to that,’” she added. “If you respond in kind to that, then we’re both off the rails.”
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