‘Bloodbath’: CBS ‘Race and Culture’ unit dies swift death as network sheds jobs
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ tenure began with significant layoffs announced by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison in a memo Wednesday, according to The Guardian.
The cuts, planned before she was named to the post, affect roughly 100 staffers at CBS News, including virtually all of the outlet’s “race and culture” section, The Guardian reported, citing Puck News reporter Dylan Byers. One staffer told The Guardian the cuts, which involved about 1,000 total employees across Paramount, were a “bloodbath.”
Scoop @PuckNews: CBS NEWS leadership will announce layoffs tomorrow… Nearly 100 jobs will be affected across the division, as I’ve long reported… more details in tomorrow’s private email: https://t.co/aUkyssMv7F
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 28, 2025
“In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization,” Ellison wrote in the memo . “In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth. Ultimately, these steps are necessary to position Paramount for long-term success.”
The CBS News Race and Culture Unit, founded in July 2020, primarily served as a “reviewer,” making sure “all stories have the proper context, tone and intention.” The division also was intended to serve as “a repository and showcase for all of the diverse stories from CBS News and stations.”
Among those being cut are “CBS Saturday Morning” co-hosts Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, as part of a plan to revamp the show, according to the New York Post. The network is also dropping the streaming shows “CBS Mornings Plus” and “CBS Evening News Plus.”
“CBS Evening News” co-host John Dickerson announced Monday he would depart the network in December.
Ellison named Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount purchased The Free Press for $150 million. Weiss is reportedly trying to recruit Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier and Salem Radio Network host Scott Jennings to the network.
CBS announced in July “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” would end in May 2026, citing a lack of profitability, adding that the show itself would be retired at that time. CBS settled a $10 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the editing of an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who was Trump’s opponent in the 2024 presidential election, drawing criticism from inside the company, including from Colbert and Dickerson.
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