Bari Weiss Putting Personal Podcast On Pause To Focus on Embattled New Role at CBS News — As Ratings and Her Credibility at Network Plummet
Bari Weiss is stepping away from her passion project to focus on her new role at CBS.
Jan. 23 2026, Published 6:01 p.m. ET
Bari Weiss is taking a break.
The embattled new CBS News editor-in-chief has announced she is putting her personal podcast on hold, RadarOnline.com can confirm, for reasons she "thinks and hopes" listeners will understand.
Weiss Steps Away
Weiss has had a rough start to her tenure as CBS News new editor-in-chief.
It's not a lie – Weiss is pausing Honestly, the flagship podcast she started at her The Free Press website.
In an audio message to fans, she explained: "Honestly is taking a little bit of a pause. I know, it’s hard to hear that, it’s definitely hard for me to do that because I love doing this show, but I think, and I hope that you’ll understand why."
If they don't understand, she also explained, well, honestly: "As you may have heard, if you have an internet connection, I’ve also taken on a new role. And that’s as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
"It’s a huge responsibility, and it’s an extraordinary opportunity to bring the values that drive this show and that drive The Free Press into a much bigger arena.
She went on to confirm that she is taking the same conservative approach she brings to Honestly to CBS.
"In a sentence, my job is to take the value and the vision that you have supported and stood behind here at Honestly, and bring it to CBS News."
Weiss Focuses on 'Failing' CBS
Her first big hire, new anchor Tony Dokoupil, had a disastrous beginning.
But Weiss is quickly learning that many people in that "much bigger arena" don't want it. The 41-year-old's first big splash, new CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil, has been met with ridicule and, even worse, low ratings.
The new anchor got off to a rough start on Monday, January 5, after suffering an on-air meltdown during a confusing night-one broadcast. Tuesday saw a strong negative reaction to what many deemed a "fluff piece" on Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The unplanned mistakes, along with the "Bari backlash," led to the new guy doing worse than his predecessors.
Ratings for Dokoupil's Monday debut were significantly down across major advertising demographics. According to Nielsen data obtained by Radar, viewership was down 22 percent compared with the same day last year.
One insider blasted the newscasts and the mistakes.
"Talk about amateur hour – CBS couldn’t even get through a 30-minute show without massive errors," the source shared. "And this guy is delusional enough to throw shade at Walter Cronkite?"
Trump Goes on a Tear
Dokoupil had a fiery confrontation with Donald Trump in Detroit.
It likely didn't help when Dokoupil found himself getting a media tongue-lashing from Donald Trump, who said the anchor owed him his job.
Dokoupil reported from Detroit last week and joined the president for a tour of a Ford plant. While speaking with Trump, the new anchor asked about the economy and mentioned the continuously rising gas prices.
That set the president off, who replied with his familiar talking points, only this time, tailored to Dokoupil and his own job security.
"We have now the hottest country in the world. And a year and a half ago our country was dead. We had a dead country," he told Dokoupil, before bringing up his prediction if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election. "You wouldn't have a job right now. If she got in, you probably wouldn't have a job right now. Your boss, who's an amazing guy, might be bust, okay?"
His boss, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, is a friend of Trump's, who had promised to bring more conservative reporting to the network.
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Dokoupil's Big Payday
Trump mocked his paycheck and took credit for him having a job at all.
Trump continued: "Let me just tell you, you wouldn't have this job. You wouldn't have this job, certainly, whatever the h-- they're paying you. Our country is rocketing right now. We have the hottest country in the world. If they got in, we would be Venezuela on steroids."
Dokoupil, evidently rattled by the president's charge, came back to his comments at the very end of their discussion, telling Trump: "For the record, I do think I'd have this job even if the other guys won."
Without hesitation, Trump fired back: "Yeah, but at a lesser salary. Thank you very much."
