Gayle King’s decision to endorse embattled CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has yielded criticism from colleagues.
During an all-hands meeting on Tuesday, King offered strong support for Weiss, calling her “beloved” and saying she would be at the network “long into the future,” per The Daily Beast.
The adoration from Gayle arrives while being subject of multiple stories that she may soon be on the chopping block due to her age and massive salary.
“I like Bari, that you laid out a vision,” King said. “For many people, they’ve never even heard your freakin’ voice. So it’s good for them to hear — to see you’re a real person, and this is what you want, and how you feel about us, and how you feel about this job.”
In the much anticipated meeting, Weiss told staffers that they should leave if they don’t think she’s the “right leader” for the network, letting them know it’s a “free country.”
King concurred saying, “If you don’t want to be here, if this is not the place, it’s OK.” She added, “But for the rest of us who would like to be here, who’d like to do a good job and figure things out along the way, this is a very bumpy time for all of us.”
Staffers disappointed by Gayle King’s comments
According to a CBS insider who spoke The Independent, Gayle King also expressed her grievances about people talking to media outlets. “Gayle instead made it about her not liking the fact that people are talking to the press about her future at CBS News. Forget the substance of people’s grievances and fears.”
Another staffer told the outlet that King’s statement during the meeting may have been a last-ditch effort to keep her job on CBS Mornings and “stay relevant.” The staffer said King has “never been a leader” at the network, and “is in dire need of someone the staff can rally around.”
King’s annual salary on CBS Mornings, reported to be $15 million, faces scrutiny under the new administration.
“She’s not going to say anything against the person who will determine her job status. This was her only play,” the insider said.
However, another staffer also told the outlet that King received an applause from her colleagues. “It was nothing but positive feelings at the end of the the town hall yesterday,” the employee claimed.
King shared during Tuesday that knows the meetings’ contents would leak to the media, stating, “I’ll be curious to see how long it takes for this to get out. ‘Cause it’ll be somebody in this room.”