Gayle King was supported by CBS after accusations surfaced that she had informed author Ta-Nehisi Coates about the interview questions beforehand.

The network clarified that King had not provided Coates with the questions in advance but had engaged in a standard pre-interview conversation, as is typical for experienced hosts.

During the episode on September 30, King, alongside co-hosts Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson, interviewed Coates about his new book focusing on Palestine, in a six-minute segment.

During the interview, Dokoupi – whose two children and ex-wife live in Israel – accused Coates of being an ‘extremist’ and attacked his work that focuses on the voices of Palestinians on the West Bank. 

King, who has been with the network since 2012, attempted to smooth the conversation over by giving Coates 20 seconds before the end of the segment to simply talk about the message of his book.

Despite the fact that King was largely silent during the segment, criticism erupted after Coates told Trevor Noah on his show that the anchor approached him prior to the interview and told him what she wanted to ask. 

‘Gayle came behind the stage before we went, and she had gone through the book. And I’m not saying she agreed with the book. She was like: “I want to ask you about this, I want to ask you about that,”‘ he told Noah. 

‘Discussing a guest’s work ahead of time is a common approach to establish rapport,’ a spokesperson said a statement, according to Daily Beast.

‘Gayle King is one of the most respected journalists in America. She is known for her thorough preparation and note-taking,’ the spokesperson said. ‘She reads the books, consumes the content that will be discussed and extensively prepares for each interview on CBS Mornings.

Dokoupi – who has since apologized to staff for his behavior – was reprimanded by CBS News’ CEO Wendy McMahon, who said he ‘did not meet editorial standards for impartiality.’ 

McMahon and Head of Newsgathering, Adrienne Roark, were publicly criticized on Wednesday by Paramount Global Chairwoman, Shari Redstone, who said a ‘mistake’ had been made and the episode was ‘not handled correctly.’ 

Redstone also reportedly called Dokoupil to say she stood by him, but expressed her misgivings to Paramount Global Co-CEO George Cheeks, according to Puck. 

Cheeks defended McMahon on Wednesday, saying she and her leadership team are ‘passionate advocates and stewards for CBS News standards’ and ‘that won’t change.’ 

‘Reasonable minds in a newsroom will appropriately pressure test and debate internally to ensure balanced and objective coverage externally,’ Cheeks said, according to the Daily Beast. 

Sources admitted the network remained deeply divided over the issue after another ‘teary’ staff meeting on Tuesday, in which Dokoupil addressed his colleagues for the first time. 

‘Tony said he regretted putting his colleagues in that position, especially the ones overseas and in danger,’ one told the New York Post. 

Dokoupil had accused Coates of undermining the country’s right to exist and demanded to know why no pro-Israel voices were included during the September interview. 

‘The content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist,’ he told his guest at the time. ‘Why leave out that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it? Why leave out that Israel deals with terror groups that want to eliminate it?’

Coates insisted that there was no shortage of pro-Israel voices in the US media, and that he was trying to tell ‘those stories that I have not heard.’ 

Since the September interview, King’s controversial interview with a Hamas hostage’s dad has resurfaced. 

King interviewed Thomas Hand in November 2023 about the October 7 kidnapping of his eight-year-old daughter, Emily, by Hamas.

The clip saw King ask Hand: ‘Now this seems to be all about politics. What do you say about that? You know, you have innocent children and Palestinians who are dying, innocent Israeli children who are dying. And no one seems to be able to say “Enough, stop that.”‘

Hand laughed nervously and answered: ‘I’m not interested in politics at all. My only concern is getting Emily back.’

Emily was returned safely to her family a few weeks later, 50 days after being abducted during the massacre that killed 1,200 and sparked the ongoing conflict.

But King’s tough line of questioning – which was backed by her CBS Mornings bosses – sparked allegations of hypocrisy following Dokoupil’s questioning of Coates.

Jewish Insider Correspondent Lahav Harkov said King’s chat with Hand ‘violates CBS standards’ just as much as ‘Tony Dokoupil… ask[ing] Ta-Nehisi Coates tough questions about his anti-Israel screed.

‘But apparently, it was totally fine for Gayle King to make accusations to the father of a hostage – who said nothing derogatory about Palestinians.’