In a fiery podcast episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show," the former broadcast veteran turned podcaster, Megyn Kelly, lashed out at the new CBS News anchor, Tony Dokoupil, questioning his manhood and fitness to anchor the esteemed evening news program amidst the network's tumultuous transition and recent high-profile personnel changes.
Dokoupil, 45, has ascended from CBS Mornings host to helm CBS Evening News, a position once occupied by legendary anchors like Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Connie Chung, and Katie Couric. Despite receiving mixed reviews for his slightly uptick in ratings, the new anchor faced Kelly's scathing criticism over a segment he aired about his hometown of Miami, where he shed tears.
"Crying over a president's assassination? That's expected," Kelly exclaimed to her listeners. "But wiping away tears as he removed his glasses? That's where most evening news anchors traditionally draw the line."
Kelly further tried to undermine Dokoupil's credibility by referencing conservative podcaster Adam Corolla's remarks on the 'feminization' of newsrooms and comparing it to Dokoupil's appointment. "When you want to discuss the 'feminization of the newsroom,' look no further than the new CBS Evening News anchor," she stated, also mentioning Mark Halperin, a former political director for ABC News who left amid #MeToo sexual harassment allegations.
Halperin agreed that the segment should not have been aired. "I cry about my family sometimes, but I wouldn't air it. The point is, it wasn't live. They chose to air it," he said.
In his first week at the helm, Dokoupil faced internal and external criticism for a soft interview with cabinet secretary Pete Hegseth, using a private jet for promotional tours, and fumbling a segment transition. The newsroom is reeling under the leadership of Bari Weiss, an anti-woke millennial founder of The Free Press, who has installed herself in a pivotal role at CBS under Paramount CEO David Ellison's $150 million purchase of her site.
Weiss has also faced her own share of controversies, including mass criticism for a letter demanding to know the reason behind a last-minute removal of a cleared segment on Venezuelan migrants held in an El Salvador prison by ICE. The network saw its first major head roll on Wednesday evening when Javier Guzman, the well-respected top producer of CBS Evening News, was "dismissed" with no clear explanation given to staff. Guzman had been with the network since 2017 as a producer and was six months into his new role.
A former CBS News staffer who had worked with Guzman suggested that because he was "brought up by an earlier regime," abiding by any journalism's unofficial rules could be seen as undermining or insubordination in the current climate.
In summary, the CBS newsroom is reeling under a myriad of controversies and personnel changes, with Dokoupil and Weiss at the forefront of this turbulent period.
