Veteran anchor John Dickerson to leave CBS after 16 years amid ratings pressure, Bari Weiss-led overhaul

“CBS Evening News” co-anchor John Dickerson will leave the network at the end of 2025, marking the end of a 16-year stint with CBS News. The journalist shared the announcement on Instagram Monday, writing:

“At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in as ‘Face the Nation’ anchor for the first time.”

He thanked colleagues for making him a “better journalist and a better human.”

Dickerson will continue co-anchoring alongside Maurice DuBois until his exit. Dickerson joined CBS in 2009 and rose to some of the network’s highest-profile roles, including moderation of “Face the Nation” and co-anchoring its flagship evening broadcast.

Changes coming under new leadership

The New York Times reported the decision to depart was Dickerson’s own, although he was aware of sweeping changes coming to the news division, now under the editorial leadership of opinion writer Bari Weiss.

Weiss was installed after Skydance Media, controlled by David Ellison, absorbed Paramount in August. Her mandate includes a newsroom reset to “restore CBS’s trust with viewers”.

Ratings pressures and format scrutiny

The New York Post reported that Dickerson’s future had been in doubt since CBS News president Tom Cibrowski joined Weiss at the helm. Ratings for the dual-anchor format have slipped, with internal critics calling the setup “clunky,” “awkward” and lacking chemistry.

It remains unclear whether DuBois will be named sole anchor. “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil is a leading contender, according to a source quoted by the Post.