Dan Rather Brands Ex-Employer CBS a 'Disaster' Following David Ellison's Takeover — as Former Journalist Drags Trump in Blistering Rant
Dan Rather shared his thoughts on the current state of CBS News.
Oct. 27 2026, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Dan Rather has branded his former employer, CBS News, a "disaster" in a blistering rant, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
The veteran journalist, who spent 44 years at CBS, called out the network during a recent interview, making it clear that he's far from happy about the direction it's taken.
Dan Rather Slams CBS
Rather shared his unfiltered take on the current state of CBS News after David Ellison (above) took over.
"It is in many ways a disaster, not just for the people who work at CBS News – and there’s still a lot of really good people working there," he explained. "But this is a further example of big billionaire corporate power in bed with powerful people and the presidency to get control of these operations for their benefit.”
David Ellison, Donald Trump's billionaire friend and political donor, completed his Skydance Media merger with CBS' parent company Paramount Global in 2025. The Free Press' Bari Weiss was later named Editor-in-Chief of CBS News.
This led to the exit of figures like Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and others.
Dan Rather Calls Out Trump
Rather called out Trump during his rant, claiming he's 'gotten his way.'
"Donald Trump has expressed his extreme dislike for 60 Minutes. So now, he's gotten his way," Rather insisted. "He cleared the way for a consolidation of corporate power, which in turn cleared the way for doing what’s been done to 60 Minutes."
He continued, "The wreckage of CBS News is everywhere, and continues to this moment. I don’t see how to stop it."
Dan Rather Discusses Bari Weiss
Rather claimed Bari Weiss has turned CBS News into a 'version of Fox News.'
"You judge a person by what they do, and what she's done is she's quickly turned CBS News in the direction of being a version of Fox News, perhaps a little more palatable," Rather said of Weiss. "But I didn't know her beforehand, and I don't know her now."
"Frankly, we didn’t hear much about her until she was rewarded with many millions of dollars for her company [The Free Press], and then paid to come in and start destroying CBS News," he added.
Dan Rather Commends Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi
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Rather praised former CBS star Scott Pelley for speaking out 'at a tremendous cost' to himself.
The journalist noted, "Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi were two of the best television correspondents in the country, not just on 60 Minutes. Among the first things that the new ownership did was get rid of both of them."
"Pelley, who's had a long and very good career, you've got to admire his guts because somebody needed to stand up, speak out, and start challenging the power," he concluded. "And at a tremendous cost to themselves."
