**NEWS ALERT – CBS MORNINGS**
**HEADLINE:** Gayle King Announces Departure from CBS Mornings After Landmark Decade; Succession Plan Underway
**LOCATION:** New York, NY
**DATE:** February 18, 2025
**SOURCE:** CBS News Media Relations
**DETAILS:**
CBS News co-anchor Gayle King officially announced her departure from *CBS Mornings* today, effective June 2025, concluding a transformative 14-year tenure at the network. The 70-year-old journalist, who has helmed the morning flagship since its 2012 relaunch, stated the decision was a "mutual and amicable" conclusion to a planned contract cycle.
In a formal statement released by CBS News, King cited a desire to focus on her philanthropic initiatives and the expansion of her independent production company. Network president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews confirmed that no immediate replacement has been announced, though a "comprehensive internal and external search" will commence immediately.
King’s tenure was defined by her high-profile interviews—including her historic 2019 sit-down with R. Kelly and the 2020 one-on-one with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry—which collectively generated over 1.2 billion global views across CBS digital platforms. Her departure marks the third major anchor exit from a network morning show this year, following changes at both NBC's *Today* and ABC's *Good Morning America*.
**WHY IT MATTERS:**
King’s exit represents a seismic shift in the competitive morning news landscape, where her steady, authoritative yet empathetic tone earned her the network's highest-rated program in the key 25-54 demographic for four consecutive quarters. Her transition signals a broader industry trend of veteran anchors pivoting toward independent content ownership, as linear television viewership continues to decline by an average of 8% year-over-year.