CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon quit her job suddenly Monday amid growing tensions with parent company Paramount Global over its handling of a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump.
“Today, I am stepping down from my position as president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures,” McMahon wrote in a memo to her former staff. “At the same time, the past few months have been challenging. It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed that Paramount executives had made it clear in recent days they wanted McMahon to leave. Her departure follows less than a month after “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned.
The leadership upheaval stems from Paramount’s ongoing legal battle with Trump, who was angered by CBS News when it aided his 2024 opponent Kamala Harris through deceptive editing of a “60 Minutes” interview weeks before the presidential election. Paramount is currently in mediation with Trump’s legal team.
CBS parent company Paramount Global is also seeking Trump administration approval for its planned multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, reportedly favors settling the case to clear the path for the merger.
McMahon’s support for Owens after his resignation appears to have further strained her relationship with Paramount executives. When Owens departed last month, McMahon publicly stated that “standing behind” the producer “was an easy decision for me.”
The timing of McMahon’s announcement, less than 24 hours after Sunday’s season finale of “60 Minutes,” surprised some within the organization despite growing expectations that her departure was imminent.
Her 15-month tenure atop CBS News had been marked by several controversies. An overhaul of “CBS Evening News” introduced earlier this year failed to boost ratings, and the news division faced criticism from Redstone over a “60 Minutes” segment about the Israel-Hamas war.
Redstone also publicly criticized McMahon’s handling of an incident involving “CBS Mornings” anchor Tony Dokoupil, who challenged author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ pro-Hamas views. When CBS News executives rebuked Dokoupil, Redstone called the move “a mistake” and defended the anchor.
In her resignation memo, McMahon told staffers she spent the “last few months shoring up our businesses and making sure the right leaders are in place” at CBS News.
“I have no doubt they will continue to set the standard,” she wrote. “To our viewers: Thank you for your trust. You hold us accountable, and you remind us why this matters.”
A CBS News staffer told Fox News that McMahon participated in the network’s editorial call Monday morning without mentioning her planned resignation.
George Cheeks, CBS chief executive, announced that McMahon would remain at the network for “a few weeks to support the transition.” She will be succeeded temporarily by Tom Cibrowski, recently named president of CBS News, and Jennifer Mitchell, president of CBS Stations.
McMahon previously served as president of the ABC Owned Television Stations before taking over CBS News in August 2023.