CBS News boss Bari Weiss is reportedly hunting for a “fresh face” to lead the Evening News — and insiders say she’s looking squarely at Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
According to Mediaite, Weiss — who took charge after David Ellison’s CBS takeover — has been quietly sounding out candidates as part of a dramatic network overhaul:
As part of her recalibrations, the new editor-in-chief has been “quietly canvassing” for a fresh face to anchor the flagship show, and, among external candidates, Weiss has floated Baier as a potential candidate, sources revealed to Status’ Oliver Darcy.
While internal names like Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil remain on the table, Weiss has reportedly spoken with several colleagues about bringing the Fox mainstay into the CBS fold in a move that Darcy argued “signals where the network is headed under Ellison’s ownership.”
Weiss also made waves inside CBS by demanding staff submit detailed job memos ahead of expected layoffs and personally weighing in on coverage and booking decisions. One source said she has been “hands-on in every sense — calling guests, tweaking rundowns, and setting tone from the top.”
The changes reportedly extend to family: her sister Suzy Weiss, co-founder of The Free Press, is expected to play a larger on-air role.
Insiders confirm Baier has jumped to the top of Weiss’s shortlist — edging out O’Donnell and Dokoupil. Darcy says the move “shows exactly where CBS is headed under Ellison’s new leadership.”
CBS declined to comment. Fox News also stayed silent.
Baier, a respected Beltway journalist earning around $14 million a year, renewed his Fox contract through 2028, making a quick move unlikely — but Weiss’ interest suggests CBS is serious about redefining its tone.
It’s not her first outreach to Fox talent. In recent weeks, she reportedly tried to recruit Mike Pompeo, a Fox contributor, for a high-profile CBS forum — but network exclusivity rules blocked it.
The move underscores Weiss’s broader mission: to pull CBS away from its traditional image and rebrand it as a player in the center-right media space — one that could attract audiences tired of partisan divides.
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Bret Baier will fit in at CBS he leans to the left just like CBS does.