Is Gayle King losing her job? One report says she’s getting pushed off CBS Mornings over lousy ratings. Gossip Cop investigates. According to the National Enquirer, King is blowing it at CBS Mornings. Her slumping ratings mean her future at CBS is in doubt.
Her $11 million per year contract expires soon, and her bosses are ready to slash the budget. “To be expensive and have no one watching isn’t a winning formula in the TV business,” a source says.
While Gayle is talented, CBS Mornings can’t sniff the ratings of GMA and Today. Her powerful friends, a source says, “can only help her now if they show up on the show — and bring viewers with them.” She’s not the only CBS anchor at risk of losing their job — Norah O’Donnell is in the hot seat as well.
A mole concludes, “It’s shaping up for a bloodbath over at CBS, and no one in the newsroom is safe!” This story is completely false, for Gayle King has more than one offer on the table right now. Her contract expires in May and it looks like a bidding war is starting up. Page Six revealed that rival networks are lining up to sign her. CBS sources say they “will do everything we can to keep King.”
MSNBC is searching for a replacement for Rachel Maddow’s evening slot, so that would be a logical destination. King could easily sit beside Hoda Kotb on Today or head over to ABC. She’s making about $9 million, not $11 million, and could fetch even more on the free market.
Without King, CBS Mornings would be without any real star power. It doesn’t have the same market share as Today or GMA, but what ratings it does have is thanks to King. Since the network looks desperate to keep King, this story is completely false.
The Enquirer is completely changing its story. Last August, it claimed CBS was hiring folks in a last-ditch effort to keep Gayle King around. Now it apparently wants to slam the door on her way out. We also debunked its story about King pushing O’Donnell out of CBS. Every time this tabloid writes an article about King, it cannot decide what level of power she supposedly has.
Ratings pop up all the time in this magazine’s pages, but it seldom means anything. It claimed The View would get less political over sagging ratings, but it’s in the market for a new lighting rod conservative specifically for politics. This is not a trustworthy source. King is as in demand as ever, so this story should be disregarded.