REPORT: CBS Eyeing Beloved Fox News Host For Primetime Role

CBS News might be trying to pull off one of the biggest media coups in recent years — by luring one of Fox News’ most respected anchors away from the network.

Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has her eyes on Bret Baier, the longtime host of “Special Report” and Fox’s chief political anchor, according to a report from Status News. Weiss has reportedly discussed the idea internally with colleagues and executives as part of a larger shake-up that could include a major anchor swap at the CBS Evening News.

CBS executives are said to be evaluating several high-profile candidates to replace current Evening News co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. Sources claim Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski have floated both internal and external names — including Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil, as well as Baier, who would bring a reputation for sharp, steady reporting and credibility across partisan lines.

If CBS were to land Baier, it would mark a dramatic pivot for the network, which has long been viewed as left-leaning compared to Fox’s conservative base. Baier, who joined Fox in the late 1990s, has earned respect even among political opponents for his measured tone and hard-nosed interviews with leaders on both sides of the aisle.

However, the path to CBS may not be as simple as it seems. Baier signed a multi-year contract extension in 2023 that reportedly locks him in at Fox News until 2028.

The deal, said to be worth $14 million per year, would make it difficult for CBS to legally or financially lure him away. Since joining CBS, Bari Weiss — known for her departure from The New York Times and for launching The Free Press — has reportedly pushed for a more “balanced” newsroom culture that appeals to a wider audience.

Adding a figure like Baier would not only boost the network’s credibility among conservative viewers but could also signal a broader effort by CBS to compete with Fox’s massive primetime audience. Weiss’s appointment as editor-in-chief, however, marks a clear intention to reshape the network’s editorial identity by emphasizing “balanced, fact-based” journalism and by explicitly seeking to engage audiences who feel underserved by strongly partisan media

Her background—as a critic of both the “far left” and the “far right” — and her founding of The Free Press, which promotes independent critique of establishment media, align with the network’s effort to broaden its ideological appeal and reach. At the same time, the shift has sparked unease among longtime CBS News staffers, who fear it may disrupt the newsroom’s traditions and editorial culture.

Overall, the move suggests CBS News is actively repositioning itself as less overtly partisan, aiming to rebuild trust among a more politically diverse audience and to modernize its operation for a changing media landscape. Neither CBS nor Fox News has commented publicly on the report, and Baier himself has not responded to speculation.

Still, the chatter within the media world suggests CBS is hungry to make a statement — and poaching a Fox heavyweight would certainly do just that. For now, Baier remains at Fox’s Washington bureau, anchoring Special Report each weeknight.

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