EXCLUSIVE: CBS News Boss Bari Weiss Ripped for Trying to Pry Hoda Kotb and Fox News' Bret Baier for Her 'Anti-Woke' Agenda
New CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has her eyes on other network's personalities.
Dec. 10 2025, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
New CBS News boss Bari Weiss has been working to shake up the struggling network, seeking to lure rival anchors and reporters to her "anti-woke" approach.
However, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal the Editor-in-Chief is quickly finding out her competitors are either locked into lucrative contracts or have no desire to join her.
CBS Talent Targets
Weiss has been busy re-stocking the CBS News roster.
As Radar has reported, Weiss has had her eye on competing names like Fox News star Bret Baier, who anchors the cable network's 6 p.m. hour Monday through Friday, and still popular Today alum Hoda Kotb.
But one industry insider told Radar the big names would be making a big mistake by switching sides.
"Hoda Kotb and Bret Baier would be fools to go to CBS," the source said. "(The network) is in perennial last place, and judging from what we’ve seen of Bari’s leadership and vision so far, there’s zero hope for the future of the Tiffany network, which is just so sad."
Bret Baier Isn't Going Anywhere
Baier has anchored his own evening show on Fox News since 2009.
Fox representatives say any Baier talk is a waste of time anyway, as he is under contract there through at least 2028.
Our industry source said Weiss should focus on building her own base and making her own mark on the television landscape.
"The problem isn’t just Bari’s lack of newsroom experience; it’s that her hiring vision is utterly unimaginative," the insider claimed. "Instead of trying to cultivate talent and build a modern and competitive CBS News, she keeps circling the same unavailable names.
"Her playbook is full of reruns – not reboots."
Tony Dokoupil Takes Over the Evening News
Tony Dokoupil has been named the new face of CBS Evening News.
Weiss has already landed her first big splash, as the network confirmed that CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil has been tapped to replace outgoing Evening News anchor Maurice DuBois, who announced his 20-year run with the network will end later this month.
Dokoupil, 44, is set to take over the news desk on Monday, January 5.
In a statement, Weiss said he is the right man for the job: "We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back.
"That's because he believes in old-school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account.
"Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night."
Weiss' Whole New 'View'
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Weiss is reportedly looking for a conservative version of 'The View.'
"Fair and balanced" reporting is what Weiss is after. Since officially taking over CBS News on October 6, the conservative editor has not hesitated to make some right-leaning adjustments to the network.
That seems to include some new morning talk show competition. According to network sources, Weiss is quietly building what's being described internally as "The Right View," which is being labeled as a "sharp, debate-driven alternative" she believes the genre has been missing.
"It’s personal," a CBS source claimed to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on his ShuterScoop Substack. "Bari never let go of the fact that The View passed on her. Now she's creating the show she thinks they should have hired her to help reinvent."
Weiss was once one of the potential names on the list to replace Meghan McCain as the conservative voice on the controversial daytime talk show, but things didn't exactly go well for her.
With her new power, word is she has already greenlit development meetings for a View of her own that would feature a "panel of diverse voices engaging in real conversation without the on-air meltdowns or shouting matches that have become The View's signature."
