CBS News finds itself in an unprecedented position as Maurice DuBois announced Thursday, December 4, 2025, that he will depart “CBS Evening News” on Dec. 18, leaving the flagship broadcast without any permanent anchors for the first time in recent memory. The veteran journalist’s exit comes just weeks after his co-anchor, John Dickerson, announced in October his own plans to leave the network by year’s end.
DuBois shared the news with viewers through an Instagram post, writing: “It has been the Honor of a Lifetime. 21 years altogether, including my time at WCBS-TV in New York City. What a privilege! To be welcomed into your homes night after night, delivering the news / meeting extraordinary people and telling their stories. I’ll leave filled with gratitude, cherished relationships and amazing memories.”
The departure marks the end of a brief but tumultuous chapter for the evening news program. DuBois and Dickerson took over the broadcast together in January 2025, replacing Norah O’Donnell in what the network hoped would be a fresh dual-anchor format. The pairing lasted less than a year, with Dickerson announcing his departure in October and leaving DuBois as the sole anchor until now.
Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, praised DuBois’s contributions in a statement: “Maurice has long represented what we do best at CBS News and Stations. For more than two decades, he has delivered the day’s biggest stories from our studios in New York and in the field.” Cibrowski added that he hopes to work with DuBois again and promised more details about the next chapter of “CBS Evening News” would come in the near future.
The co-anchor experiment never quite found its footing. Industry observers noted that Dickerson and DuBois struggled to develop on-air chemistry, and the broadcast continued to lag in ratings against its network competitors. Evening news programs remain critical prestige properties for broadcast networks, serving as flagship operations that help define their journalistic credibility and reach millions of viewers nightly.
DuBois joined the CBS family in 2004, working at the network’s New York station WCBS-TV where he anchored “CBS 2 News at 6.” His two-decade tenure saw him cover major breaking news events and develop a reputation for empathy and precision in his reporting.
The departures come during a period of significant upheaval at CBS News. Paramount Global, the network’s parent company, recently merged with Skydance Media, triggering a wave of changes across the organization. Most notably, Bari Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News in October, despite having no television news experience. Weiss, founder of digital publication The Free Press and a former New York Times columnist, now oversees editorial operations at the division.
The network also settled a lawsuit in July, brought by President Donald Trump against “60 Minutes” for $16 million, a decision that sparked internal debate about editorial independence. CBS laid off approximately 100 employees following the merger, part of broader restructuring efforts as the company navigates changing media landscapes and new ownership.
The network has not announced who will replace DuBois and Dickerson, though sources familiar with the situation indicate CBS is considering candidates from outside the organization rather than promoting from within. This approach suggests a potential strategic shift in how the network approaches its evening news operation, possibly moving away from traditional anchor models toward something more experimental.
Evening news broadcasts have faced declining viewership for years as audiences increasingly turn to digital platforms and streaming services for information. The anchor position, however, remains symbolically important as the public face of a network’s news operation. Finding the right person to fill that role requires balancing journalistic credibility, on-air presence, and the ability to connect with viewers across demographic groups.
As DuBois prepares for his final broadcasts, he expressed gratitude for the relationships built and stories told during his time at CBS. His departure leaves the network facing urgent questions about leadership and direction as it enters 2026 without permanent anchors for its signature evening newscast. How CBS addresses this vacancy will signal much about the future vision for its news division under transformed ownership and editorial leadership.
