The ramifications of these changes have been reflected in the ratings. In 2025, “CBS Mornings” reported a 10% decline in viewership compared to the previous year, a drop that surpassed its rivals, “Good Morning America” on ABC News and NBC’s “Today,” which saw decreases of 6% and 5%, respectively. According to an insider speaking with The New York Post in August 2025, “The audience doesn’t want woke. It doesn’t like progressive and provocative bookings.” Amid this backdrop, speculation about King’s future at CBS intensified, particularly with her $15 million contract set to expire in May.

Despite the swirling rumors, it appears King and Weiss have reached a mutual understanding. A CBS spokesperson reassured Page Six in January that “We expect [King] to have a very long future here.” Meanwhile, King herself expressed her desire to remain, telling TMZ in October, “All I’ve been told by everybody in this building is that they want me here.” However, whether she will continue co-anchoring the morning show or take on a new role remains uncertain, as her reputation has faced challenges in recent years.

However, she and Weiss are said to have reached an agreement. “We expect [King] to have a very long future here,” a CBS spokesperson told Page Six in January. King has also made it abundantly clear that she wants to stay. “All I’ve been told by everybody in this building is that they want me here,” she told TMZ in October. Whether that means she’ll continue to co-anchor the network’s flagship morning show is unclear, though. Rumors says she’ll be assigned a different position. But King’s dipping reputation in recent years certainly hasn’t helped.

Responding to criticism, King has been vocal in defending her stance, criticizing her detractors for their lack of understanding. In a conversation with People, she stated, “Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here.” Moreover, she defended Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos’ initiatives for addressing Earth’s pollution, asserting on “CBS This Morning” (via People) that the individuals involved are “devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place,” indicating a disconnect with public sentiment.

In January 2025, King found herself at the center of controversy once again, this time over a social media post criticizing United Airlines. In a now-deleted Instagram video (via People), she lamented receiving a business-class seat lacking a window, despite paying for one with a view. “I sit down and I go, ‘Oh great, let’s look out the window,'” she remarked, before humorously noting, “There is no window. Well, maybe I can look at the neighbor’s window across the hall.”

In one of her many responses to the backlash, she accused her detractors of ignorance. “Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here,” she told People. Later, she again defended Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos’ efforts to find what she considered creative solutions for Earth pollution. “The people that are working there are really devoted and dedicated to making our planet a better place,” she said on “CBS This Morning” (via People). She clearly didn’t understand what the public was trying to convey.

In January 2025, Gayle King attracted backlash once more over her perceived lack of humility. In a since-deleted Instagram post (via People), she complained about having a windowless seat while flying business-class in a United Airlines flight, even though she had purchased a window seat. “I sit down and I go, ‘Oh great, let’s look out the window,’” she said in the video, before turning the camera to her side. “There is no window. Well, maybe I can look at the neighbor’s window across the hall.”

King’s complaint may not be entirely without merit, considering that United was sued in 2025 over using the term “window seat” for seats that don’t actually have windows. Still, social media users weren’t sympathetic. In today’s economy and surging cost of living prices, many felt that her complaint was tone deaf and out of touch. “Perspective matters. For most travelers, a safe and smooth flight is already a luxury,” a Facebook user wrote under an article about it.

Others were critical even though they defended her right to have issues with the company’s controversial nomenclature. “She’s right to be annoyed. But maybe quietly and directly to the airline, not to us teeming masses who long for the possibility of maybe getting upgraded to business class, or economy plus, or selecting our seat, or flying at all,” a Reddit user argued. Considering she deleted the post, Gayle most likely was aware of the criticism.

Gayle King’s friendship with Oprah Winfrey dates back five decades. The two journalists met in 1976 when they worked at a news station in Baltimore. While both went on to carve out successful careers for themselves, Winfrey undeniably became the bigger name. It is hard to compete with one of the world’s richest women, after all. Despite their allegiance to each other throughout their many challenges, many Americans think King milked her friendship with Winfrey to get to the top.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a time when King found herself embroiled in controversy and the public didn’t bring up her connection to the Queen of Media. “She’s a glorified talking head who got that job because her best platonic pal is Oprah Winfrey,” journalist Maureen Callahan said on “The Nerve at Night” amid King’s CBS contract uncertainty in November. Others have gone so far as to claim King’s whole existence was planned to support Winfrey. “Gayle King is a clone. 187. She was put in place to be a representative of false narratives that appear sincere, mostly because of her affiliation w/ OPRAH,” an X user argued in 2019.

Bizarre theories aside, her reputation and credentials as a journalist have been questioned time and time again because of King’s unusual friendship with Winfrey. But she doesn’t see it that way. “I don’t see myself standing in [Winfrey’s] shadows, ever,” she said on “Nightline” in 2011 (via ABC News). “I really do see myself standing in her light.”

Just days after Kobe Bryant’s tragic helicopter crash death on January 26, 2020, Gayle King brought up the 2003 sexual assault allegations against him (which were dismissed) during a “CBS This Morning” interview with basketball player Lisa Leslie, asking her whether the scandal stained her view of his legacy. In its promo, CBS released a short clip focusing on that question. King immediately drew backlash, including from celebrities like 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, who thought her question was insensitive so soon after Bryant’s death.

King defended her line of questioning, arguing that the criticism stemmed from CBS’ poor decision to release a clip that she deemed “out of context.” “I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too. I am mortified, I’m embarrassed and I am very angry,” she said in an Instagram video. But the controversy didn’t just blow over. Years down the line, social media users continued to bring up the issue whenever King faced criticism for different reasons.

“People forget that Gayle tried her damndest to do a hit piece on Kobe, after he passed away. Lisa Leslie refused to give in to her devious and wicked tactics,” an X user commented in a 2024 thread. Many others demonstrated that they weren’t going to get over the matter. “Saw Gayle King trending and thought she was trying to get another celebrity to slander Kobe Bryant again,” another X user wrote in 2023.