The Most Famous Faces To Get Cut From CBS News Amid Major Network Changes

In October 2025, Paramount Global, which owns CBS, announced that a series of layoffs would rock the network, seeing the exit of 1,000 workers by the end of the month. A memo released by CEO David Ellison explained the decision to lay off 10% of the company's employees, saying, (via Deadline), "When we launched the new Paramount in August, we made clear that building a strong, future-focused company would require significant change – including restructuring the organization." 

He described the decision as a necessary step in positioning Paramount for long-term success, yet this decision also saw the exit of an award-winning cast of journalists who had become familiar faces to audiences around the world. "CBS Saturday Morning" hosts Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson were among the many told not to return to their roles on the network.  Correspondents Nikki Battiste and Janet Shamlian were also axed; both are Peabody and Emmy winners. Other departures included foreign correspondent Lisa Ling, Elisa Preston, and Nancy Chen. The layoffs came as a shock, especially as they were only the beginning, with another thousand workers set to be laid off after the first round of cuts.

The sudden shake-up left many speechless and shocked while their lives were left askew with the drastic layoffs. However, in the aftermath of this large-scale exit of employees, some of CBS' familiar faces spoke out about their experiences with the network. Nancy Chen took to her Instagram to confirm her layoff from the channel and write about the team she had worked with, "There is a certain bond that forms while navigating the unpredictability of life on the road and live television as well as the search for the perfect line and the joy of the perfect shot — and I am grateful I got to do it with the very best." 

Lisa Ling could have taken this layoff as an addition to the sad details about her life, but instead she faced the change with a light heart — perhaps just seeing it as another step in her evolution. Posting a video to her Instagram, the journalist said: "Now this didn't entirely surprise me, because I wasn't a full-time employee, but rather a contributor, and we're easy to cut. My heart, though, goes out to all of those who had been working at the network for many, many years." She went on to thank the network for her experiences, focusing primarily on a miniseries the freelancer was able to produce with CBS. 

Meanwhile, Debora Patta reportedly took the news hard, with the New York Post claiming that she quickly made plans to sue CBS. News of the cuts came shortly after there were subtle signs that John Dickerson's CBS News departure was messier than it seemed. He announced on October 27 that he was leaving the network, just days before layoffs rocked CBS.