CBS News Shakeup as Co-CEO Who Reportedly ‘Dressed Down’ Women Colleagues Is Ousted

CBS named Wendy McMahon President and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures following the exit of former co-president Neeraj Khemlani, the company announced Monday.

CBS News and CBS Television Stations were combined in 2021 under the co-leadership of Khemlani and McMahon. Khemlani resigned Sunday, after his two years marked by spats with top journalists and female executives including news anchor Nora O’Donnell and Chief Financial Officer Stacey Benson. Khemlani was accused of “dressing down” his female colleagues in a disrespectful way, according to The New York Post. He was reportedly under watch by HR, reported The Post.

“[I am] looking forward to slipping my reporter’s notebook back into my pocket and heading out on a new adventure,” Khemlani said to his colleagues on Sunday in an email obtained by Variety, which first reported his departure.

McMahon now steps into the newly created role overseeing an expanded portfolio from CBS News daily and weekly broadcasts to entertainment series such as "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune."

“It’s an honor to be entrusted to lead as venerated an organization as CBS News, and I’m inspired to continue to support the world’s greatest journalists at this critical moment for our profession. I’m also excited to work with the #1 team in first-run syndication at CBS Media Ventures,” said McMahon.

"At every turn since joining CBS, Wendy has used her unique skill set as an innovator, business operator and people leader to energize operations, support our best-in-class journalism and position CBS for its multiplatform future,” said CBS CEO George Cheeks.

CBS News did not immediately respond to The Messenger’s request for comment regarding Khemlani's exit.

Khemlani — who ran iconic programs such as "60 Minutes," "Evening News" and "Face the Nation" — is the third leader at a major news outlet forced out so far this year. CNN fired Chris Licht this summer, and Noah Oppenheim of NBC News resigned in January.

Cheeks said he and Khemlani had been in talks about “his potential transition for some time,” according to a memo seen by Variety. 

Khemlani “put new business plans in place to drive more revenue, which is essential in a challenging environment for all media companies” during his time as co-president of CBS News and Television Stations, said the memo from Cheeks.

Updated 10:52 a.m. EST: The article was updated to reflect an announcement from Paramount Global and CBS.