In a year already marked by seismic shifts across media, CBS is once again at a crossroads — and this time, it’s the “Evening News” left without anyone behind the desk. Maurice DuBois, the veteran journalist who has co-anchored the broadcast alongside John Dickerson since January, informed staff on Thursday morning that he will be departing the network on December 18.
“Moving On: December 18th is the day of my last broadcast at CBS News,” DuBois wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Though CBS has not commented on who will succeed the duo, Tom Cibrowski, the president and executive editor of CBS News, issued a heartfelt tribute to DuBois’ legacy: “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.”
“Maurice is deeply valued and respected as a journalist by all of us, and we wish him much success. It is my hope that we can work together again. We will have more details on the next chapter of CBS Evening News in the near future,” he continued.
DuBois’ exit comes on the heels of Dickerson’s own departure announcement back in October, cutting short what was already an unusual (and unusually brief) co-anchor experiment, which lasted less than a year. His former co-anchor took to Instagram to shed light on the man many viewers relied on to deliver the evening news.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work with him for the last year on the Evening News,” he wrote. “I took this picture when he was on the road, covering the LA fires. Always ready to race off to cover a shooting, fire, riots, devastating floods, or the changing of a Pope— all of which he did— and cover all with empathy and equanimity. What I learned in the dance we go through every evening is how much he cares about words, the important stories, conveying exactly the precise thing and minimizing the b.s. We had a glitch the other night and we improvised on the fly without issue, relying on instincts we’d built together, which felt like a fitting end. Maurice, I am grateful to have worked with and learned from you.”
With the CBS’ parent company, Paramount, installing Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of the news division this fall, sources tell CNN that the search for anchors appears to be focused on outside hires rather than cultivating longtime internal talent. So, as Weiss reportedly continues scouting for new talent to usher in her vision of CBS News, the looming question remains: what does the future of CBS News look like?
