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Esteemed journalist Lisa Ling expressed no shock upon discovering she was among the numerous CBS News employees dismissed this week amidst widespread layoffs initiated by the network’s new leadership.
The 52-year-old confirmed her departure through a video shared on Instagram Thursday, just a day following the announcement by CBS’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, that approximately 1,000 positions were eliminated across various departments. This marks the first significant cost-reduction measure since the $8 billion merger finalized in August.
“Yesterday, I received a call from CBS informing me that I was part of the extensive layoffs at the network,” Ling shared in the video.
She continued, “This didn’t come as a complete surprise because, as a contributor rather than a full-time staff member, I’m easier to let go. However, my thoughts are with those who have dedicated many years to the network.”
Ling’s departure was among several high-profile exits, including “CBS Saturday Morning” co-anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, foreign correspondent Debora Patta, along with correspondents Janet Shamlian, Nancy Chen, and Nikki Battiste. Altogether, the cuts impacted close to 100 employees within CBS News as part of the newsroom’s restructuring.
Gayle King, the high-earning co-anchor of “CBS Mornings,” is likely to depart next year, according to Variety. King told TMZ on Friday that she has “no idea” if her show will make changes once her contract expires in May, adding that she hasn’t heard from management as to whether she is on her way out.
The layoffs hit just days after newly installed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and network president Tom Cibrowski began a major overhaul of CBS News, which insiders said included axing the Race and Culture unit, shuttering the Johannesburg bureau and canceling two streaming programs.
In her Instagram message, Ling reflected on her brief tenure at the network and praised colleagues who, like her, had seen their jobs eliminated.
“I worked with some wonderful people at CBS, and I was so proud of the multi-part series I was able to do on caregiving, psychedelic healing and the state of spirituality, among so many other segments, things so relevant to so many of us now,” she said.
“All of the series had this thread of healing running through them, and I wanted to let you know that I am developing a platform that will go into even greater depth on a whole range of issues related to intergenerational strength and healing.”
Ling joined CBS in 2023 after a nine-year stint at CNN, where she hosted “This Life with Lisa Ling.”
She previously served as a correspondent for ABC’s “Nightline” and co-hosted “The View” from 1999 to 2002.
Her layoff adds to a widening talent shake-up at CBS, where high-profile names, including “CBS Evening News” anchor John Dickerson, have announced their departures and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is set to end in 2026.
The Post reported earlier this week that “CBS Saturday Morning,” which has been on the air for 28 years, will undergo a radical revamp under Weiss and Cibrowski, who sources said deemed the broadcast “too expensive.”
Executives also canceled “CBS Mornings Plus,” a weekday streaming show co-hosted by Adriana Diaz and Tony Dokoupil.
Patta, a veteran foreign correspondent based in South Africa, was added to the layoff list at the last minute after a Rome-based colleague, Chris Livesay, successfully appealed to Weiss for his job.
CBS has declined to comment on individual personnel decisions.
