EXCLUSIVE: Bari Weiss Blamed for 'CBS Evening News' Major Ratings Downfall — As New Boss Accused of Turning Network into 'State-run Media for Trump'
Bari Weiss hasn't had much success since taking over at CBS.
March 18 2026, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Bari Weiss has once again found herself in hot water, as she's being blamed for the painful downfall of CBS Evening News, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The long-running news program has seen a dramatic decrease in viewership, as ratings dropped to under 4 million after Weiss took over and appointed Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor.
'CBS Evening News' Ratings Fail
CBS has been taking hits left and right ever since Weiss took over.
According to data from Nielsen, the overall audience for the news program for the five weekdays that ended March 13 stood at about 3.83 million, and only at 468,000 among viewers between 25 and 54, a demographic which is coveted by advertisers.
The show's rival, ABC's World News Tonight, saw almost 8.48 million, and did better than CBS in the same age demo, with 1.03 million. NBC Nightly News also hit about 6.51 million overall in the same period.
CBS Evening News had a major overhaul as previous anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson bailed in late 2025 after Weiss took over. Soon after, Dokoupil was moved from CBS Mornings to the evening program, as the network was said to have been panicking over falling further behind their rivals.
However, it has not had much of an impact based on the new ratings. Despite the underwhelming numbers, critics are putting all the blame on Weiss.
'Bari Weiss is Running CBS into the Ground'
The network's new boss has been blamed for the downfall of 'CBS Evening News,' due to her overhaul.
"It's because of Bari Weiss and her turning CBS News into state-run media for Trump... not really because of Tony," one person on X suggested, as another reacted, "No one wants to watch Russian/MAGA state TV in the United States of America. Who could have predicted this?"
A user added, "Bari Weiss is running CBS into the ground..." and one went off, "I don't think it's Tony’s fault. He works for Trump State TV, so people are turning off that, not the anchor."
"This should lead to a nice promotion for Bari Weiss," a person quipped.
Weiss has been accused of favoring Trump since taking over as editor-in-chief. In December 2025, a 60 Minutes story critical of President Trump and his administration was kept off the air, as Weiss claimed it did not "advance the ball" at the time.
'60 Minutes Drama Unfolds
Sharyn Alfonsi recently called out Weiss for pulling a segment critical of President Trump.
Just two hours before the story, which focused on deportees who had been sent to El Salvador's CECOT prison, was set to air, it was pulled, as Weiss took credit for the decision.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi blasted the decision and raged, "In my view, pulling it now after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one..."
In response, her boss, Weiss, said, "The only newsroom I'm interested in running is one in which we are able to have contentious disagreements about the thorniest editorial matters with respect and, crucially, where we assume the best intent of our colleagues..."
"Anything else is completely unacceptable," the 41-year-old added.
Bowing Down to Trump?
The 41-year-old has been accused of leading the charge for 'State-run Media' for Trump.
Weiss was also accused of "bowing down to Trump" on 60 Minutes, as an interview with him on the program was described as a "fluff" piece after the 79-year-old was not asked about the $16million payout CBS was ordered to pay over following a lawsuit from Trump, in which he claimed they "misled" their audiences.
Trump claimed the network edited in an interview with his then-presidential challenger Kamala Harris to make her responses "seem more intelligible."
However, it's not a completely positive relationship, as recently, Weiss felt the wrath from the White House after reportedly hiring an aide who once worked closely with Trump's rival, Liz Cheney.
Jeremy Adler, who served as Cheney's senior communications advisor from 2019 to 2023, is believed to be set to join the communications team at CBS News.
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In response, the White House said, "The idea CBS would hire Liz Cheney’s flack, who has worked to jail President Trump and make it impossible for anybody who supported the president to get hired, is insanity.
"What the hell is Bari Weiss thinking?" the statement concluded.
