'CBS Wants Younger, Hotter... And Male': Bari Weiss Eyes Axing Margaret Brennan as New Boss Aims for 'Good-Looking' Replacement
Bari Weiss has turned her attention to replacing Margaret Brennan on 'Face the Nation.'
Jan. 28 2026, Published 1:35 p.m. ET
Margaret Brennan's days as the face of CBS's Face the Nation are reportedly numbered, as news division chief Bari Weiss wants to see a younger, hotter "alpha male" in the seat grilling the country's top politicians, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Weiss, 41, has already made her mark on the network's evening news with the elevation of hunky Tony Dokoupil from Gayle King's morning news sidekick. Now, she wants a man who oozes "authority" to replace Brennan, 45.
Bari Weiss Looking for Men Who 'Ooze Authority'
Weiss' biggest move yet was elevating Tony Dokoupil to the 'CBS Evening News' anchor chair.
"Bari loves her good-looking men," a network source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on Substack. "She thinks they read as authority now."
Insiders cited the promotion of Dokoupil, 45, and luring away correspondent Matt Gutman from ABC News as examples of "headline hunks" Weiss wants as the new faces of the network.
While 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper might seem like a natural fit, Weiss reportedly views him as "Too polished, too thoughtful," and not enough of an alpha male to take on the Capitol's top dogs.
Margaret Brennan's Ongoing Troubles With Trump's Team
Brennan goes viral frequently for her exchanges with members of the Trump administration.
Brennan has found herself in several viral moments after going toe-to-toe with members of Donald Trump's administration.
She attempted a "gotcha" moment on Vice President JD Vance in January 2025, which became infamous.
While debating Trump pausing a program for Afghan refugees, Brennan claimed an Afghan national who was arrested for planning a 2024 election day attack may have been radicalized once he arrived in the U.S.
"I don't really care, Margaret," Vance fired back. "I don't want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me."
The response quickly became a meme for the MAGA community.
Network News Housecleaning
John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois anchored their final CBS Evening News cast on December 18, 2025.
Weiss' housecleaning at CBS began almost immediately after her arrival in October 2025, when she was given a mandate to eliminate the network's woke bent and bring a fair and balanced position to the news division's products.
CBS Evening News anchor John Dickerson abruptly announced he would be departing the network by the end of the year.
His co-anchor, Maurice DuBois, signed off on his final newscast in December 2025, after 21 years with CBS, days after Dokoupil's promotion was announced.
Anderson Cooper Under Fire
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Anderson Cooper reportedly doesn't want to lean in to the 'alpha male' projection favored by Weiss.
Sources previously revealed that the network wants "alpha males" as the faces of CBS, and that Cooper's time at 60 Minutes could be "numbered" unless he changed his reporting style.
"CBS isn't looking for gentlemen anymore. They want someone who commands the room, projects dominance," an insider claimed. "Anderson? He’s calm, thoughtful, precise. That doesn’t cut it under the new regime."
"Honestly, his days there could be numbered. The new regime wants alpha. Anderson’s a talented gentleman. That’s no longer enough," the spy advised.
"He's a consummate professional, a gentleman. But the new CBS doesn’t reward that. They want presence, authority, someone who dominates the narrative. Anderson doesn’t do that and doesn’t want to," a second source said.
