'CBS Evening News' Desk Sits Empty, Anchor Leaves Amid Paramount Skydance Turmoil

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

The anchor desk for "CBS Evening News" is empty after Maurice DuBois announced his departure amid turmoil at the network following Paramount Skydance Corporation's merger.

DuBois said he'll leave CBS after 21 years in an Instagram post on Thursday, Dec. 4. The Long Island native spent two decades at WCBS-TV in New York City before joining the flagship newscast for the "Tiffany Network" in January.

The 60-year-old called anchoring "CBS Evening News" an "honor of a lifetime."

"What a privilege!" DuBois posted. "To be welcomed into your homes night after night, delivering the news / meeting extraordinary people, and telling their stories. I'll leave filled with gratitude, cherished relationships, and amazing memories."

DuBois said his final newscast will be on Thursday, Dec. 18. 

"Maurice has long represented what we do best at CBS News and Stations," CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski said in a statement to CNN. "For more than two decades, he has delivered the day's biggest stories from our studios in New York and in the field."

DuBois will depart along with his co-anchor John Dickerson. In October, the Northern Virginia native also announced that he'll leave at the end of 2025.

CBS hasn't said who will replace DuBois and Dickerson on the desk.

"Maurice is deeply valued and respected as a journalist by all of us, and we wish him much success," said Cibrowski. "It is my hope that we can work together again. We will have more details on the next chapter of 'CBS Evening News' in the near future."

DuBois' exit comes amid major turbulence for CBS News after its parent company, Paramount Global, officially merged with Skydance Media in August. The new media conglomerate has faced widespread criticism for how it handled the $8.4 billion deal under political pressure from President Donald Trump.

The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger just weeks after Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Trump, who sued the company in a case that many legal analysts described as frivolous. Trump accused "60 Minutes" of deceptively editing an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 Presidential election.

Critics say CBS has taken a conservative shift since the merger, especially after Paramount Skydance bought The Free Press for $150 million earlier in October, along with making the "anti-woke" media outlet's founder, Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News. Paramount Skydance is led by CEO David Ellison, son of Oracle co-founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison.

Dubois revealed his departure on the same day CBS announced that Weiss will moderate a town hall with Erica Kirk, the wife of slain far-right political activist Charlie Kirk. The discussion will be televised on CBS on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Weiss has reportedly considered Fox News host Bret Baier to lead "CBS Evening News." Other floated replacements include former "Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell, "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil, and CNN's Anderson Cooper, who also contributes to "60 Minutes."

"CBS Evening News" co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson.

Paramount Skydance

DuBois leaves as Paramount Skydance cuts up to 2,000 jobs in several rounds of layoffs. Among the high-profile departures were Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, who co-anchored "CBS Saturday Morning" until November, when the show underwent a major shift away from feature reporting to resemble its weekday counterpart.

Outside of news, DuBois has gained pop culture fame, especially for roles as a news anchor in films like "Kick-Ass" and "Soul Men," along with the CBS drama "Person of Interest." He also made cameos on Showtime's "Desus & Mero," after Bronx comedians Desus Nice and The Kid Mero gave him several shoutouts during his time at CBS New York.

DuBois attended Port Jefferson High School before graduating from Northwestern University.