CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon quits amid possible settlement of Trump lawsuit

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: May 19, 2025 2:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said Monday that she is resigning aft 4 years, the latest fallout astatine the web arsenic its genitor institution considers settling a suit with U.S. President Donald Trump implicit a 60 Minutes interview with his erstwhile governmental opponent, Kamala Harris.

McMahon, who has led some the web quality part and quality for the CBS-owned stations, said successful an email to unit that "it's go wide that the institution and I bash not hold connected the way forward. It's clip to determination connected and for this enactment to determination guardant with caller leadership."

McMahon has made wide she opposes settling with Trump — conscionable similar 60 Minutes executive shaper Bill Owens, who discontinue past month.

Trump has sued CBS, alleging it edited an interrogation with 2024 with Harris past autumn to payment her. CBS News has denied that. CBS's genitor company, Paramount Global, is successful talks to perchance settee Trump's lawsuit. At the aforesaid time, Paramount Global is seeking medication support of a merger with Skydance Media.

George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount and caput of the CBS network, said McMahon's apical deputies, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell, volition study straight to him.

McMahon, successful her note, said that "the past fewer months person been challenging."

"I person spent the past fewer months shoring up our businesses and making definite the close leaders are successful place, and I person nary uncertainty they volition proceed to acceptable the standard."

In summation to the tussle with Trump, Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has expressed unhappiness implicit immoderate web sum of Israel's warfare successful Gaza, including a 60 Minutes piece this winter. Paramount began supervising 60 Minutes stories successful caller ways, including asking erstwhile CBS News president Susan Zirinsky to look implicit immoderate of its stories earlier they aired.

That other furniture contributed to Owens's resignation. One of the show's correspondents, Scott Pelley, said connected the aerial that "none of america is happy" astir the changes.

CBS News is besides trying to found the caller anchor squad of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois astatine its flagship CBS Evening News broadcast amid ratings troubles.

In his enactment to unit members, Cheeks praised McMahon for expanding section quality astatine CBS stations and improving their competitory positions, on with improving the network's integer offerings.