After weeks of speculation that a huge shakeup could be heading to Fox News’s primetime lineup, anchor Bret Baier finally addressed rumors that he was moving to CBS News.
Baier said he does not plan to leave the network to join CBS News, and says he remains under contract through 2028 and is happy at Fox News.
No shakeup afterall.
Baier addressed the speculation during an appearance on Meghan McCain’s “Citizen McCain” podcast after reports emerged that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has been eyeing him as a potential anchor for CBS Evening News.
“I would be not surprised if you didn’t ask this question because I knew you would ask it,” Baier said. “I’m flattered by all the press and everything like that, but I’m in a multi-year contract with Fox. I don’t know where everything’s going. I’m signed onto Fox, very happy at Fox and we’ll see what happens at the end of that. But it’s interesting to see all the press about it.”
A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to Barrett Media that Baier is under contract with the network through 2028.
The rumors intensified last week after Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter reported that Weiss has been “quietly canvassing” for a fresh face to lead CBS Evening News, with Baier at the top of her list.
The speculation grew Monday when CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson announced he would depart the network at the end of the year.
Dickerson’s exit marks the first high-profile talent departure from CBS News since Weiss took over as editor-in-chief earlier this month.
“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,” Dickerson wrote on Instagram. “I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history — and I am grateful for my dear colleagues who’ve made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you.”
McCain, whose husband works at Fox News, told Baier she would be “heartbroken” if he left the network.
“I love the Fox News viewer, one at a time,” Baier responded.
Baier has deep roots at Fox News, joining the network in 1998 as Atlanta bureau chief. He served as Pentagon correspondent from 2001 to 2006, then became White House correspondent in 2007. He began anchoring “Special Report” in January 2009 and has held the role for 16 years.
Baier currently earns $14 million annually at Fox News, according to reports.
Weiss was named CBS News editor-in-chief after Paramount Skydance purchased her publication The Free Press for $150 million in early October. She founded The Free Press in October 2021 after resigning from The New York Times in 2020 following backlash over publishing an opinion column by Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.
Weiss has been meeting with staffers and reporters as she looks to shake up CBS Evening News, which has consistently lagged behind competitors ABC News and NBC News in ratings. CBS decided to make significant changes to its evening broadcast earlier this year, moving from a traditional headline format to a 60 Minutes-style magazine approach with longer segments on specific topics.
Dickerson and Maurice DuBois took over as co-anchors of CBS Evening News in January, replacing Norah O’Donnell, who hosted the program from July 2019 to January 2025.
“Official confirmation: Bret Baier is not taking over CBS Evening News, at least for now,” McCain’s co-host Miranda Wilkins said during the podcast.