GHOSTS OF THE PAST

Katie Couric Speaks Out on ‘Total Embarrassment’ at MAGA-Coded CBS

The former CBS news anchor called out the “chaos” at the network.

Katie Couric has delivered a grim assessment of her former network as its Trump-friendly bosses skew its news to please the president and his administration.

Couric, 69, made TV history as the first solo female anchor of a national weekly evening news broadcast when she replaced Dan Rather at CBS Evening News in 2006. She anchored the show until 2011.

She has now formed her own independent multimedia company, Katie Couric Media, and hosts the Next Question podcast.

CBS’ parent company, Paramount Skydance, is now under the control of MAGA ally David Ellison, son of Trump donor Larry Ellison.

The younger billionaire installed MAGA-curious Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor-in-chief last October, leading to major leadership changes including at its flagship 60 Minutes and the CBS Evening News.

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Her first programming move saw Tony Dokoupil hired as the new anchor for the Evening News. After initial stumbles during his chaotic first week on air, his presence has not led to a major ratings increase for the critical evening broadcast.

CBS also revealed in July 2025 that it was axing The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which had been regularly critical of Trump, who in turn frequently called for the show to be taken off air.

The network announced that it would not renew Colbert’s contract just days after he called its parent company’s payout to Trump to settle his 60 Minutes lawsuit a “big fat bribe.”

After Weiss oversaw a bloodbath of firing staff at 60 Minutes known as “Black Thursday,” she installed 49-year-old TV news virgin Nick Bilton as the executive editor of the program, which returns to air next month.

Asked for a scorecard on how CBS has handled “pressure” from the Trump administration during his second term as president, Couric told Status she rated it a “D,” adding, “It’s not an F.”

However, she added that reports of stories being pulled at the last minute to appease the White House were a “total embarrassment.”

Last month, 60 Minutes reporter Cecilia Vega directly addressed times that the new bosses at CBS News, including Weiss, attempted to interfere in the flagship news show.

Referencing suggested changes to stories about ICE raids and cuts to SNAP benefits to include more pro-Trump administration content, Vega said, “Never in my career until now have I felt that those edits, those suggestions, came from a place of misinformation or politics.”

Couric added that a lot of people “are still really concerned” about the seismic changes being made at 60 Minutes, and noted that after reading the accounts of fired reporters, including Scott Pelley, “some of the stories from behind the scenes were very troubling.”

Asked about the Weiss-installed Dokupil and his slipping ratings, Couric called the decline in TV viewership “a trend line of network evening newscasts.”

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However, she added that the attention around Weiss and “the chaos” in the halls of CBS News would not be helping the show’s popularity with viewers. Couric added that firing Stephen Colbert and axing his popular late night show “might not have helped” ratings either.

“I think that probably has hurt the morning show, because TV viewers leave the channel on overnight,” Couric said.

The media identity said that the influence of David Ellison on CBS News and potentially CNN was “very concerning.”

Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is attempting a takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, which would include CNN, who Trump regularly calls “fake news.”

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“From everything I’ve read, Larry Ellison is a big supporter of Donald Trump, and that is concerning. Having control of too many media outlets is not a good thing. It’s cause for concern how they’re going to manage CNN and who’s going to be in charge there,” Couric said.

She added that the results were “not good for journalists, and it’s definitely not good for viewers, in my opinion.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to CBS News for comment.

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