CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon quits amid potential Trump lawsuit settlement

DAVID BAUDER

May 19, 2025

CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said Monday that she is resigning after four years, the latest fallout at the network as its parent company considers settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over a "60 Minutes" with his former political opponent.

McMahon, who has led both the network news division and news for the CBS-owned stations, said in an email message to staff that "it's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It's time to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership."

McMahon has made clear she opposes settling with Trump -- just like "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who quit last month.

Trump has sued CBS, alleging it edited an interview with 2024 Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last fall to benefit her. CBS News has denied that. CBS' parent company, Paramount Global, is in talks to potentially settle Trump's lawsuit. At the same time, Paramount Global is seeking administration approval of a merger with Skydance Media.

George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount and head of the CBS network, said McMahon's top deputies, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell, will report directly to him.

McMahon, in her note, said that "the past few months have been challenging."

"I have spent the last few months shoring up our businesses and making sure the right leaders are in place, and I have no doubt they will continue to set the standard," she said.

In addition to the tussle with Trump, Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has expressed unhappiness over some network coverage of Israel's war in Gaza, including a "60 Minutes" piece this winter. Paramount began supervising "60 Minutes" stories in new ways, including asking former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky to look over some of its stories before they aired.

That extra layer contributed to Owens' resignation. One of the show's correspondents, Scott Pelley, said on the air that "none of us is happy" about the changes.

CBS News is also trying to establish the new anchor team of John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois at its flagship "CBS Evening News" broadcast amid ratings troubles.

In his note to staff members, Cheeks praised McMahon for expanding local news at CBS stations and improving their competitive positions, along with improving the network's digital offerings.

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David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

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