Gayle King’s Future at ‘CBS Mornings’ Revealed After Months of Uncertainty

Gayle King, the longtime host of CBS Mornings, will stay with the morning news program.

The Wednesday, March 4, announcement comes months after reports surfaced that the 71-year-old could shift to a new role within the organization, according to people familiar with the matter, since her contract is set to expire in May.

“Rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated,” King said in a statement, according to the New York Post.

“CBS News is my longtime home, and I am committed to our mission,” she added. “I’m excited about continuing at ‘CBS Mornings.’ As always, I’m open to new adventures here and ready to go. It took a minute, but we got there. And now that we are here, I am all in.”

Variety, who initially reported the news of King’s possible CBS Mornings departure, said Wednesday that talks with King broadened since that initial October 30 report. People familiar with the discussions said a final year as host was being considered.

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has been making big changes to the network since she joined in October, said, “There is only one Gayle King.”

“We’re so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home,” Weiss, 41, added. “We’re thrilled to have her on in the morning — and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences.”

The decision for King to stay comes after CBS News recently lost Anderson Cooper, who decided to depart 60 Minutes.

King previously joked about her future with CBS Mornings on the November 12 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

After host Andy Cohen read a viewer question asking King if she was in fact leaving CBS, she jokingly replied, “What have you heard? All I can say is I love my job. I hear one thing inside the building and hear something else outside of the building.”

She also said that she wasn’t “going to negotiate” any of the details of her contract “in the media,” adding that eventually “all will be revealed.”

When Cohen, 57, asked her to confirm whether or not her CBS contract is “up in May,” King said that was true before jokingly asking the Bravolebrity, “Do you need an assistant?”