Politics
Top News Host Humiliated After His Temporary Replacement Crushes His Ratings
Tony Dokoupil’s bid to revive the struggling CBS Evening News took another hit after his temporary replacement drew a significantly larger audience while filling in during the anchor’s vacation.
Former ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman, who stepped in behind the desk last week, pulled in about 4.1 million viewers, roughly 300,000 more than Dokoupil averaged throughout July, according to Nielsen ratings first reported by Status and later obtained by the Daily Mail.
The strong showing gave CBS Evening News its most-watched week since March, despite Dokoupil being off for a two-week vacation.
For Dokoupil, 45, the comparison only deepens concerns about the network’s continued ratings struggles. July marked his weakest monthly performance since January, when he first assumed the anchor chair, and he has not topped the four-million-viewer mark since March.
One veteran television executive questioned the timing of Dokoupil’s extended absence, arguing that summer is often when lower-rated broadcasts try to gain ground on competitors.
“Everyone is entitled to a vacation, but when you are trying to build an audience and fighting to right a failing ship, taking a two-weeker is a head-scratcher.
“Makes you wonder if Dokoupil has given up.”
Another executive, speaking to Status, was even harsher after Gutman’s ratings win.
“Never seen this before,” the executive said, calling the situation “another dagger in Tony’s neck” and “baffling.”
The source also described Dokoupil’s absence as a “missed opportunity,” noting that ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir was also away during the same period.
CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil promises viewers:
“You come first. Not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests … I report for you.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 1, 2026
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“And his substitute outclassed him in the ratings,” the executive added.
CBS insiders disputed the criticism, telling the Daily Mail that the stronger performance had more to do with the week’s heavier news cycle than the person sitting in the anchor chair.
“The week of 7/27 just generated more news.”
The ratings debate comes as CBS News continues a sweeping overhaul led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Weiss recruited Dokoupil from CBS Mornings after the network abandoned its short-lived dual-anchor format, which had driven away more than 1.2 million viewers. At the time of that change, CBS Evening News was still averaging around four million viewers, a figure sources told Status had long been viewed internally as the minimum acceptable audience. Under Dokoupil, reaching that threshold has become increasingly difficult.
Weiss herself was brought in during October after new Paramount chief executive David Ellison took over and laid out plans to expand CBS News’ audience while accelerating its digital strategy.
Gutman, 48, was also one of Weiss’s early hires after leaving ABC News.
But not everyone inside CBS believes the restructuring has paid off.
According to Status, some employees now blame Weiss for the network’s ongoing struggles.
“The problem is clearly Bari. We are all trying to clean this up, but we need Ellison’s help.”
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