Head of CBS News Is Forced Out Amid Tensions With Trump

In a dramatic leadership shakeup, Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News, is stepping down from her role following mounting tensions between CBS, its parent company Paramount Global, and ongoing legal and political battles centered around former President Donald Trump. The development underscores escalating discord within the organization, particularly surrounding the flagship news program “60 Minutes” and its investigative coverage of Trump.

McMahon, who assumed the role in August 2023, informed her staff via an internal memo on Monday that she would be leaving the network. In her message, she cited a fundamental divergence in vision between herself and the company’s leadership. “It’s become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” she wrote. According to multiple individuals familiar with the matter, Paramount executives had already informed McMahon over the weekend of their desire for her to resign.

The move comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Paramount, which is currently involved in negotiations to resolve a $20 billion lawsuit brought by Donald Trump. The suit alleges that “60 Minutes” misrepresented an interview with his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, through manipulative editing. Legal experts have largely dismissed the lawsuit as without merit, but Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has signaled openness to settling the matter. Redstone is also pursuing regulatory approval for a significant merger deal—selling Paramount to the Hollywood production company Skydance—which adds additional pressure to resolve any high-profile controversies swiftly.

The legal case and its political overtones have already had ripple effects within CBS. In April, Bill Owens, the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” announced his resignation. Insiders say that Owens felt increasing pressure from Paramount leadership, who were acutely aware of the ongoing settlement negotiations and reportedly pushed back on some of the program’s editorial decisions regarding coverage of Trump and his administration.

Another point of contention arose just last week. “60 Minutes” had planned to air a season finale segment on May 18, led by Anderson Cooper, which examined the Trump administration’s mass dismissal directive at the Internal Revenue Service. Sources close to the discussions said George Cheeks—CBS’s CEO and co-CEO of Paramount—considered broadcasting a separate prime-time special that would pre-empt the network’s regular evening programming, including the “60 Minutes” finale. Though this idea was ultimately scrapped and Cheeks never explicitly demanded edits or cancellations to the segment, it sparked unease among CBS News leadership.

Later that week, the producers of “60 Minutes” opted to remove the IRS piece from the broadcast, but they insisted the decision was based solely on journalistic grounds. New information from the IRS reportedly emerged, requiring more time to investigate and verify. In a statement, the program said, “Our team will continue to report on these new details and will broadcast the story in the future.”

Within the walls of CBS News, McMahon’s departure had been widely anticipated. For several months, senior figures at Paramount expressed dissatisfaction with her leadership. Criticisms ranged from her management of a revamp of “CBS Evening News”—which correlated with a significant drop in viewership—to her handling of a contentious interview on “CBS Mornings.” In that interview, anchor Tony Dokoupil challenged writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sparking controversy.

McMahon was also scrutinized for her perceived failure to maintain balanced reporting on “60 Minutes.” Some executives feared that the show’s editorial slant had become politically charged, leaving the network vulnerable to partisan attacks—particularly from Trump and his allies. And indeed, Trump appeared to be closely monitoring the show’s content.

On May 4, “60 Minutes” aired a report featuring legal scholars who criticized President Trump’s use of executive power to target certain law firms. According to insiders, Trump’s legal team viewed this episode as a provocation, interpreting it as a strategic maneuver by CBS to strengthen its hand in the lawsuit settlement negotiations. In response, Trump’s lawyers reportedly warned Paramount that the former president might pursue new legal action, this time accusing the company of defamation based on the contents of the episode.

“CBS and Paramount’s attempts to subvert the legal process with lies and smears may necessitate additional corrective legal action,” said Ed Paltzik, one of Trump’s attorneys, adding that the president retained the right to pursue further lawsuits.

Efforts to mediate the dispute have so far proven unsuccessful. A recent mediation session reportedly ended with both sides still far from reaching a mutually agreeable settlement.

Trump’s relationship with “60 Minutes” has long been adversarial. He declined to participate in interviews with the program during the last presidential election campaign and has regularly used social media to criticize its reports. Last month, he described a segment as “fraudulent” and called for CBS to have its broadcasting license revoked. “CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” he wrote in a post.

These external pressures have led to internal changes at CBS, including greater corporate oversight of “60 Minutes.” Some longtime producers have bristled at this new level of supervision, which they view as a shift away from the editorial independence the program has historically enjoyed. During an emotional staff meeting in April, Bill Owens lamented the changes, saying, “In a million years, the corporation didn’t know what was coming up—they trusted ‘60 Minutes’ to report the stories and program the broadcast the way ‘60 Minutes’ saw fit.” He warned that altering this longstanding arrangement risked creating “a really slippery slope.”

With McMahon now set to depart, CBS will be temporarily led by Tom Cibrowski, who was recently appointed president of CBS News, and Jennifer Mitchell, who currently serves as president of CBS Stations. In a memo to staff, George Cheeks said McMahon would remain for “a few weeks to support the transition.”

This leadership turnover, combined with escalating legal battles and mounting editorial scrutiny, places CBS News at a critical juncture. As the network prepares for an election year, its ability to maintain editorial integrity while navigating corporate interests and political pressures will likely determine its credibility—and perhaps its future direction—in the evolving media landscape.