Maurice DuBois has announced his departure from “CBS Evening News” after serving less than a year as anchor, leaving the broadcast without its lead anchor during a period of significant change. DuBois shared on Instagram that his final day will be December 18, 2025, concluding a 21-year career with CBS-related networks.
This announcement follows co-anchor John Dickerson’s disclosure in October 2025 that he planned to exit CBS News by the end of the year. DuBois and Dickerson began their co-anchor roles in January 2025, following Norah O’Donnell’s exit. The unconventional co-anchor setup lasted less than a year and was accompanied by a decline in ratings, challenging the network’s ability to compete with its rivals.
In a recent ratings period, “CBS Evening News” averaged approximately 4.26 million viewers, lagging behind NBC’s “Nightly News” with 6.24 million and ABC’s “World News Tonight” with 8.27 million. The third-place ranking adds pressure as the program undergoes another transformation.
Sixty-year-old DuBois, who spent the majority of his CBS career at WCBS in New York City, New York, is known for his calm demeanor during breaking news. On Instagram, he expressed, “It has been the Honor of a Lifetime. What a privilege! To be welcomed into your homes night after night, delivering the news / meeting extraordinary people, and telling their stories.”
Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, commended DuBois in a statement, saying, “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.”
The anchor departures occur amidst significant corporate changes at CBS News. Skydance acquired CBS’s parent company, Paramount, earlier this year under David Ellison’s leadership. In October, Bari Weiss was appointed as editor in chief of the news division. Known for her digital opinion journalism rather than traditional broadcast news, Weiss has been recruiting anchor talent to redefine the broadcast.
Sources indicate Weiss has approached several prominent television journalists but has encountered challenges with existing contracts at competing networks. This has complicated efforts to promptly find replacements for DuBois and Dickerson as the network seeks to address the anchor gap.
The timing of these departures prompts questions about the future direction of “CBS Evening News” and whether CBS management will maintain a co-anchor format or shift to a single anchor. Dual-anchor arrangements have historically posed challenges for evening news programs, potentially confusing viewers and complicating on-air responsibilities.
Corporate developments have further complicated CBS News’ situation. In July 2025, Paramount settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump, agreeing to a $16 million payment to Trump’s future presidential library. The settlement led to internal upheaval, with “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigning in April, citing a “loss of editorial independence,” and CBS News President Wendy McMahon departing in May, stating that “the company and I do not agree on a path forward.”
For DuBois, his exit marks the end of a nearly 40-year career that included considerable time at CBS. Over two decades, he became a recognized figure in the nation’s largest media market before gaining national prominence as co-anchor of the evening news. It remains uncertain whether he will return to local news or explore other opportunities in the industry.
John Dickerson, who has been with CBS for 16 years in various capacities, announced his departure in October with similar gratitude. His and Du Bois’ departures, occurring close together, give the network a limited timeframe to implement a new anchor strategy that Weiss and the leadership team have planned.
As “CBS Evening News” navigates this transitional phase, it faces the challenge of maintaining viewer trust while executing changes to improve competitiveness. On December 10, 2025, CBS announced that Tony Dokoupil, currently a co-host of “CBS Mornings,” will assume the anchor role for “CBS Evening News” starting January 5, 2026. This represents Weiss’s first major programming decision as editor in chief. At 44 years old, Dokoupil will be the youngest anchor among foremost evening newscasts as CBS seeks to advance from third place in the ratings.