After less than a year at the helm of “CBS Evening News,” Maurice DuBois has announced his departure from CBS News, leaving the storied broadcast without anchors as it heads into a period of significant upheaval. DuBois revealed via Instagram that his last day will be Dec. 18, marking the end of a 21-year tenure with CBS-owned properties.
The announcement comes just weeks after co-anchor John Dickerson revealed in October 2025 his own plans to exit CBS News by year’s end. The dual departure leaves the network’s flagship evening news program in an unusual position, with no immediate successors named to take over the anchor desk.
DuBois and Dickerson launched their co-anchor format in January 2025 as part of a broader revamp of “CBS Evening News” following the exit of Norah O’Donnell. The pairing represented an unconventional approach for network evening news, but the experiment lasted less than a year. The format change coincided with noticeable ratings declines for the broadcast, which has struggled to compete with its network rivals.
During a recent five-day ratings period, “CBS Evening News” averaged 4.26 million viewers, trailing significantly behind NBC’s “Nightly News” with 6.24 million and ABC’s “World News Tonight” with 8.27 million. The third-place finish in ratings has put additional pressure on the broadcast as it undergoes its latest transformation.
DuBois, 60, who spent most of his CBS career at WCBS in New York City, built a reputation as a smooth and efficient anchor capable of delivering breaking news with composure. His Instagram announcement struck a gracious tone, expressing gratitude for his time with the network. “It has been the Honor of a Lifetime,” he wrote. “What a privilege! To be welcomed into your homes night after night, delivering the news / meeting extraordinary people and telling their stories.”
Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, praised the departing anchor in a statement. “Maurice has long represented what we do best at CBS News and Stations,” Cibrowski said. “For more than two decades, he has delivered the day’s biggest stories from our studios in New York and in the field.” He added that the network would provide details about the next chapter of “CBS Evening News” in the near future.
The anchor departures unfold against a backdrop of significant corporate changes at CBS News. Skydance acquired Paramount, CBS’s parent company, earlier this year under the leadership of David Ellison. In October, the new ownership installed Bari Weiss as editor in chief of the news division, a surprising choice given her lack of television news experience. Weiss, known for running the opinion website The Free Press, has been actively recruiting anchor talent in recent weeks as she works to reshape the broadcast.
According to people familiar with the matter, Weiss has reached out to several prominent television journalists, only to discover that many are locked into contracts at competing networks. This has complicated efforts to quickly identify successors to DuBois and Dickerson as the network races to fill the anchor void.
The timing of the departures raises questions about the direction of “CBS Evening News” and whether CBS management will continue with a co-anchor format or return to a single anchor. Evening news programs have historically struggled with dual-anchor arrangements, which can create confusion for viewers and complicate the division of on-air responsibilities.
Corporate developments have further complicated CBS News’ situation. Paramount recently settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump, sparking concerns within the news division about the network’s independence and willingness to stand up to pressure from powerful figures.
For DuBois, the departure marks the end of a nearly 40-year career that included significant time at CBS. During his two decades with the company, he became a familiar face to viewers in the nation’s largest media market before stepping into the national spotlight as co-anchor of the evening news. DuBois also made history as the first Black weeknight anchor at CBS. His exit leaves uncertain whether he might return to local news or pursue opportunities elsewhere in the industry.
Dickerson, who has spent 16 years at CBS across various roles, announced his October departure with similar expressions of gratitude. His exit by year’s end will coincide roughly with DuBois’ mid-December departure, leaving the network a narrow window to implement whatever new anchor configuration Weiss and network leadership have planned.
As “CBS Evening News” enters this transitional period, the broadcast faces the dual challenge of maintaining viewer trust while implementing changes designed to improve its competitive position. The network has not indicated whether it will promote talent from within its ranks or look externally for new anchors to lead the program into its next era. Whatever direction CBS chooses will signal how seriously the network takes the challenge of climbing out of third place in the evening news race.
