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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Wendy McMahon has resigned as president and CEO of CBS News, citing a divergence with network leadership over the company's future direction. Her departure follows a turbulent tenure marked by internal unrest, executive shakeups, and mounting pressure tied to a looming corporate merger.
In a message to staff, McMahon acknowledged recent difficulties, stating, "The past few months have been challenging," and emphasized her pride in CBS's journalistic mission.
Why It Matters
McMahon's resignation comes amid CBS's legal dispute with President Donald Trump and ongoing financial strategies ahead of a proposed merger with Skydance Media.
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What To Know
In a memo sent to staff Monday morning and shared with Newsweek, McMahon said her tenure at CBS News had been "one of the most meaningful chapters" of her life.
"Championing and supporting the journalism produced by the most amazing stations and bureaus in the world, celebrating the successes of our shows and our brands, elevating our stories and our people...It has been a privilege and joy," she wrote.
"At the same time, the past few months have been challenging. 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."
The past few months that McMahon referred to have included disagreements with the Trump administration over former Vice President Kamala Harris' 60 Minutes interview last year, which he claimed had been deceptively altered.
Paramount is in talks to settle a $20 million lawsuit brought by Trump on the matter. The company's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, who is trying to get approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to Skydance, says she favors settling.
Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned last month, saying he no longer felt he had journalistic independence. McMahon stood by him in his decision.
Her time leading CBS News has been difficult. An overhaul of CBS Evening News did not resonate with viewers, leading to a drop in ratings.
What People Are Saying
George Cheeks, Paramount CEO, in a memo to staff shared with Newsweek: "On a personal note, I want to thank Wendy for her partnership over the past four years. Under her leadership, the competitive position and culture at our television stations have improved dramatically, and we've expanded local news significantly. Our streaming news platforms – national and local – are stronger and growing, with digital extensions now in place for several of our flagship CBS News broadcasts.
"In a rapidly changing world, Wendy and her teams have worked diligently to articulate a vision and lay a foundation that adapts our news operations for the future. This includes advancements in data journalism, community journalism, technology and centralizing editorial decisions to help teams move faster."
What Happens Next
Cheeks said CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell would report directly to him for now. McMahon will remain with CBS for a few weeks to hand over her responsibilities.
Update 5/19/25, 11:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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