A top CBS Mornings producer is leaving the program—a development that comes as CBS News boss Bari Weiss is reportedly seeking to hire a MAGA-friendly host for the show.
Shawna Thomas, who has been the show’s executive producer since 2021, announced to staff that she will leave the program, Variety reported Thursday.
Thomas’ exit—unlike others at the network—was not described as being messy, with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski praising her as a “passionate journalist.” However, her departure comes as Weiss, herself MAGA-curious, is trying to hire a Trump-friendly host for the program.
Status reported this week that Weiss has “expressed significant interest” in hiring ex-ESPN anchor Sage Steele for the network’s morning show, which has had a missing seat since Tony Dokoupil left to become the new face of CBS Evening News in December.
Steele, 53, campaigned for President Donald Trump in 2024, appearing with him during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Steele described supporting Trump and Vice President JD Vance as “the honor of a lifetime,” adding that Trump is “the greatest leader we’ve ever seen.” She went as far as insinuating in her remarks that Democrats oppose the use of the word “joy.”
“Wait, can I say joy?” she asked the crowd. “Are we allowed to use the word joy here? Yeah, that’s not their word because is (sic) a lie. That is our word. We have joy. It is honestly a joy and an honor for me to be here today with you guys, standing tall with all of you.”
Remarks like that have apparently landed Steele on the radar of the new-look CBS News.
CBS did not respond to a request for comment on Steele and Thomas’s exit.
Status reported there are no ongoing discussions between Steele and CBS. Variety reported that the current CBS Mornings anchors, Gayle King and Nate Burleson, will remain on the show for the “foreseeable future.”
Some in the MAGA-spere have expressed disgust with the current state of CBS Mornings, which tends to feature hard news more often than its morning show peers.
Trump’s Kennedy Center boss, Richard Grenell, went berserk on the program on Thursday.
“There’s no reporter’s name on this fake story,” Grenell posted on X, quote-tweeting a post by the program about FBI Director Kash Patel firing agents who worked with special counsel Jack Smith in his prosecution of Trump. “CBS Mornings isn’t a person. This isn’t journalism.”
CBS is currently moving in the direction Grenell likely wants it to. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison installed Weiss as editor-in-chief as part of his not-so-subtle crusade to make CBS more appealing to conservative viewers.
Weiss notably spiked an already-promoted 60 Minutes report that was embarrassing for the administration, lost top 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper, and has Dokoupil’s nightly program focused on flattering coverage of the Trump administration.
David Ellison’s father, the billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, is also pushing to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. Fears have spiked that CNN will face a similar MAGA makeover under the Ellisons’ ownership.
Thomas made no mention of Weiss or Steele in her exit note she shared with staff.
“For five years, I’ve tried to make this show something you all want to watch. Want to be a part of. Want to learn from,” Thomas said in her note, according to Variety.
She continued, “I’ve had the privilege of helping to make 10 (now 12!) hours of television each week that goes out free to people everywhere. I’ve taken that responsibility of trying to inform, educate, entertain and make people care about the world around them very seriously and I know the people here do, too.”
