Amid a hurricane of speculation about Gayle King’s future at CBS, Page Six has learned that the “CBS Mornings” co-host had a “low key lunch” with the network’s swashbuckling new news chief Bari Weiss.
And it seems that the pair have reached an accord of sorts, with a CBS spokesperson telling us after the sit-down “we expect [King] to have a very long future here.”
Lightning rod Weiss has shaken up the Tiffany network’s news operation since she took over in October, overseeing layoffs and reorganizations of key roles.
In one of her more high-profile maneuvers, she moved King’s “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil to the legendary anchor’s chair on “CBS Evening News.” She also hired veteran Matt Gutman from ABC.
Meanwhile, King’s (famously lucrative) contract is up in four months. She addressed rumors about her exit from the show shortly after Weiss’ tenure began, telling TMZ in October: “All I can say is this: From what I’m being told inside this building … all I’ve been told by everybody in this building is that they want me here. They like the job I’m doing. I like the job I’m doing!”
She even admitted on Sherri Shepherd’s show that there’s “drama” at the network but that she hoped to “stay out of it,” and Variety reported that King was set to leave the morning flagship show when her contract ends in May.
So it was of some note when Page Six spies spotted the duo having a “low-key lunch” at Upper West Side staple, Cafe Luxembourg, on Wednesday, with Weiss’ security hanging nearby at the bar.
“They were in the back corner and snuck in,” the source said, adding the staff didn’t seem to know who Weiss was.
King, on the other hand, “was smiling and friendly to the staff.”
Sources told Page Six that King’s lawyer’s have been meeting with CBS, and “she will either be exiting completely or possibly going into some sort of Diane-Sawyer-type of role,” a source speculated, referring to the legendary ABC journalist who took on a “special contributor” title after leaving her full-time gig on “ABC World News” in 2014.
But the ball appears to be in King’s court. Network insiders told Page Six that the journalist is very much beloved and vital.
A spokesperson for the network said, “CBS News loves Gayle King and we expect her to have a very long future here.”
But a first source says the buzz is “it’s the end of the road for her at the morning show.”
Reached for comment, King kidded, “I can confirm I was smiling and friendly with the staff…”
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