Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, is reportedly looking to make significant moves in her first few weeks on the job. According to reports, Weiss is looking at a few big names to potentially lead the network’s flagship evening news program. Fox News anchor Bret Baier is allegedly one of those names. The rumor was first reported by Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter. BREAKING: CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss is reportedly plotting to poach “Special Report” host Bret Baier from Fox News and install him as anchor of “The CBS Evening News,” according to multiple media outlets. pic.twitter.com/Hisg6psWDj — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 24, 2025 Daily Caller shared details: CBS named Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News after purchasing “The Free Press” for $150 million in early October. The move, first reported by Oliver Darcy in his Status newsletter, may not take place immediately, since Baier is under contract with Fox through 2028 at a salary of $14 million per year, according to Mediaite. Baier has anchored “Special Report” since January 2009 after spending 11 years in various roles with Fox News, including serving as White House correspondent, according to TV Insider. Weiss founded The Free Press in 2021 after resigning from The New York Times in 2020 over the backlash to an op-ed written by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, alleging “unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment, and constructive discharge.” The outlet was initially a newsletter called “Common Sense.” “It’s changed dramatically and try and look beyond the font to see that,” she told SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News host, in a January 2021 interview. “The New York Times is now a place where people are fired for running an op-ed by a conservative Republican. Yet pieces that are out-and-out propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party are acceptable.” “CBS Evening News” is currently co-hosted by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois after Norah O’Donnell stepped down as anchor in January, according to Yahoo News. TV Insider noted that ratings for “CBS Evening News” have declined since O’Donnell’s departure from the network. Baier extended his contract with Fox News in 2023, so an immediate move to another network is highly unlikely for the anchor. Bari Weiss is considering Fox News's Bret Baier as the anchor of "CBS Evening News," @oliverdarcy reports ($): https://t.co/s4MraIviAw — Will Sommer (@willsommer) October 24, 2025 TV Insider shared: It was previously reported that Weiss had been meeting with staffers and reporters as she looks to shake up CBS Evening News, including the show’s former anchor, Norah O’Donnell, who hosted the program from July 2019 to January 2025. Status also reports that CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil is among the names being considered for the position. CBS decided to make significant changes to its Evening News broadcast earlier this year, with John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois taking over as hosts. Rather than focusing on the latest headlines, the show is now more of a 60 Minutes-style magazine format, airing longer segments on specific topics. Despite the changes, CBS Evening News‘ ratings have dropped since Dickerson and DuBois took over, averaging 4.1 million total viewers per episode, according to Nielsen, compared to O’Donnell’s average of 4.8 million.