Breaking News: Wendy McMahon, president of CBS News, says she’s resigning. McMahon has allied herself with Bill Owens, the recently resigned executive producer of “60 Minutes.” She says she’ll reveal secrets about … see more

CBS News Chief Executive Officer Wendy McMahon announced Monday she is stepping down, the latest twist in a growing battle of wills between the company’s news division and Paramount Global controlling shareholder Shari Redstone.

Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks talked with McMahon on Saturday and asked for her resignation, according to people familiar with the matter. McMahon agreed to step down, and the Paramount Global board held a meeting Sunday at which members were made aware of the decision, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Spokespeople for McMahon, Paramount Global and CBS News declined to comment.

“The past few months have been challenging,” McMahon wrote in her resignation letter to employees. “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”

In recent weeks, Paramount Global’s board had put increasing pressure on Cheeks and McMahon to know specific details about “60 Minutes” programming ahead of its air date, in a divergence from how the show operated in the past, according to people familiar with the matter. Veteran “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April, saying Paramount Global’s increased scrutiny of his editorial decisions infringed on his journalistic independence.

“Our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger,” Scott Pelley, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, said on air at the end of an episode April 27, after Owens resigned. “The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”

“60 Minutes” aired its final episode of the season Sunday. It won’t have new episodes again until September. McMahon felt she had to fight to even get “60 Minutes” to air at all in recent weeks, given the board’s preference that certain stories not run, according to people familiar with her thinking.

McMahon was appointed CEO in August 2023.

There have also been several points of tension between McMahon and Redstone in recent months, including CBS’ coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a potential “60 Minutes” settlement with the Trump administration over the editing of an October interview with then-presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Privately, Redstone has criticized McMahon over “fairness and balance” issues, according to people familiar with Redstone’s thinking.

Redstone has also been unhappy with McMahon’s leadership and the performance of CBS News from a business perspective, according to people familiar with Redstone’s thinking.

Merging with Skydance

Paramount Global is trying to get government approval to merge with Skydance Media, run by David Ellison. The deal would pay Redstone more than $1.5 billion for her controlling share in the company. She would not have a role at the merged entity going forward.

That merger is being held up by the Federal Communications Commission as negotiations between Paramount Global and the government continue over the “60 Minutes” interview.

Another point of contention between the federal agency and the company is corporate diversity initiatives, The Wall Street Journal reported in April. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has publicly urged media companies to curb diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

In February, Paramount said it would end its DEI policies, citing an executive order by President Donald Trump banning the practice in the federal government and demanding that agencies investigate private companies over their DEI programs.

In October, Redstone publicly criticized McMahon’s decision to reprimand CBS News morning anchor Tony Dokoupil over an interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. CBS News said Dokoupil had violated editorial standards when the host pushed Coates on why he didn’t include more of Israel’s perspective on the war in Gaza during the interview. Redstone said CBS News made a “bad mistake.”

“I think Tony did a great job with that interview,” Redstone said in October during a panel at Advertising Week New York.

Related Posts

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother has tearfully shared about her son’s death: “He called me in a panic and said he was arguing with his wife about … see more

In a moving interview, the actor talked to PEOPLE about his mother’s impact on himMalcolm-Jamal Warner held onto words of wisdom from his mother throughout his career. One year before his…

Read more

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame as a child star on NBC’s “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s, has died, his body found with signs of being … see more

Beloved star of ‘The Cosby Show’ died in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at…

Read more

30 minutes ago, CEO Andy Byron’s wife officially spoke about her husband’s scandal: “I barely heard him talk about the girl he loved, and it seems he was right because every night he…

It’s been 30 minutes since the world heard the unexpected voice of the woman behind one of the summer’s most notorious scandals. Kristin Cabot’s wife, once a discreet presence in…

Read more

Hace 30 minutos, la esposa del CEO Andy Byron habló oficialmente sobre el escándalo de su esposo: “Apenas lo escuché hablar de la chica que amaba, y parece que tenía razón porque todas las noches él… -H

Han pasado 30 minutos desde que el mundo escuchó la inesperada voz de la mujer detrás de uno de los escándalos más sonados del verano. La esposa de Kristin Cabot,…

Read more

Astronomer has denied online speculation that the woman seen alongside CEO Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert is also an employee: “She’s just….

The tech world remains abuzz with fallout from the viral Coldplay concert clip that exposed what many believe to be an inappropriate relationship between Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR…

Read more

According to the share, when Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swept away by the water, he shouted to his wife that…

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, has died at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said.​ Costa Rica’s…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *