Bari Weiss Is Making Her Mark On CBS News - But Who Is She?

It appears as if President Donald Trump's desire to ruin late night television has manifested in a major merger that's shaken up CBS. With the takeover of Skydance and Paramount sweeping the media company on all fronts, beloved shows like "Late Night With Stephen Colbert" have been canceled, amid other major changes.

One of those changes was the arrival of Bari Weiss, who joined CBS New as editor-in-chief in October 2025. Weiss, who does not have a background in television broadcasting, has been a major player in journalism over the years, especially when it comes to op-eds and igniting conversation. But getting to know Weiss has been tricky, as she has often espoused contradicting viewpoints.

Weiss broke into her career in mainstream journalism in 2013 when she snagged a job at the Wall Street Journal writing opinion pieces and book reviews. Beginning her somewhat confusing trajectory, Weiss left in 2017 because she felt the outlet was going too easy on Trump. From there, she was picked up by the New York Times and embedded herself in their opinion section before publicly quitting in a blaze of anti-woke glory in 2020. Her essay of a resignation letter made the rounds on X (formerly Twitter) and allowed her to launch her next venture, which would ultimately help land her at CBS News.

After her loud departure from The New York Times, Bari Weiss went on to start two major ventures that most likely caught the eye of her new boss, CEO of CBS News, David Ellison. With the help of her sister, Suzy Weiss, she started The Free Press, a media company known for its buzzy headlines and newsletter structure. Still, Weiss has had a hard time publicly expressing her political beliefs in a consistent manner. For example, much of the content on the Substack-supported site suggests Weiss feels comfortable catering to conservatives. However, even The Free Press was one of many outlets laying into Trump when Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended in October 2025.

In 2021, Weiss launched another major venture — she opened a school. The University of Austin espouses much of what Weiss appears to embody, in that freedom of opinion is held in high regard. While the school itself doesn't seem to have accreditation, according to reporting from Austin Monthly in 2023, it did garner Weiss enough attention in the right circles and possibly helped to bring her onboard at CBS News.

Of course, the shakeup at CBS News has been rough, with John Dickerson having a messy departure as just one example. But Weiss might have a tougher job on her hands than her background can sustain. According to NPR, Ellison wants CBS News to sever 10% of their staff, a tall order for someone like Weiss. Hopefully her background in inspiring debate can help steel her for the difficult job.