CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon has announced her resignation, describing the past few months at the network as “challenging.”
The media outlet confirmed McMahon’s resignation in an emailed statement to NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.
McMahon announced her departure in an email message to her teams.
“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” McMahon wrote in the internal memo obtained by NTD. “It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
McMahon did not disclose specific details in the reason for her departure.
The network executive led the network news division and news for CBS-owned stations for four years. On her X profile, McMahon describes herself as a “champion of journalists and storytellers.”
In her statement announcing her resignation, she thanked her staff for upholding the “highest standards” of journalism and praised their “commitment to truth, fairness and the highest standards.”
“Championing and supporting the journalism produced by the most amazing stations and bureaus in the world, celebrating the successes of our shows and our brands, elevating our stories and our people. ... It has been a privilege and joy,” she wrote.
McMahon’s resignation comes amid a $10 billion lawsuit launched by President Donald Trump before he won a second White House term.
The lawsuit alleges CBS News edited an interview with Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in order to benefit her in the 2024 presidential election. Trump’s legal team claimed that the network was trying to give Harris an advantage in the race, arguing the media outlet committed “unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion” in hopes of misleading the public so they would vote for her.
The network has denied any wrongdoing.
McMahon’s resignation also comes as Paramount Global, which owns CBS, is seeking approval from the Trump administration for its merger with Skydance Media.
In a statement addressed to staff, George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount and head of the CBS network, recognized McMahon for her contributions to the company during her tenure.
“Under her leadership, the competitive position and culture at our television stations have improved dramatically, and we’ve expanded local news significantly,” Cheeks said in a statement. “Our streaming news platforms – national and local – are stronger and growing, with digital extensions now in place for several of our flagship CBS News broadcasts.”
Moving forward, Cheeks said, CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations President Jennifer Mitchell will report directly to him.
McMahon also said in her email to staff that she has spent the past few months “shoring up our businesses and making sure the right leaders are in place; and I have no doubt they will continue to set the standard.”
Meanwhile, Paramount Global is in talks to potentially settle Trump’s lawsuit.
