The Unexpected SNL Star CBS Head Honcho Bari Weiss Once Dated

Ever since she took over CBS News, Bari Weiss has been making headlines, but perhaps not for the reasons she would like. The stress of the position and the many scandals and staff changes that have come along since she was named editor-in-chief of the prestigious news division in 2025 may have Weiss looking to reconnect with her old flame. Not to have an affair; she may just need a good laugh. The controversial political commentator dated former "Saturday Night Live" star Kate McKinnon when they both attended Columbia University. 

Weiss and McKinnon's college romance made its way through the gossip grapevine for years, but the rumor was confirmed in a 2019 Vanity Fair profile on Weiss. The outlet stated that the reporter and the comedian dated from time to time in the past and were still friends. Aside from admitting to the relationship, Weiss was not willing to share more, saying, "I don't trade on my sexual identity in that way for political points. I think that's lame and it's not my style." 

Unlike Weiss, McKinnon has not publicly discussed their time together. McKinnon graduated from Columbia in 2006 and quickly built a name for herself in comedy, starring on Logo TV's "Big Gay Sketch Show" for three seasons before becoming a standout performer on "Saturday Night Live" starting in 2012. Weiss graduated in 2007 and wrote for publications such as Haaretz, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, and the latter is where she would meet her wife.

Bari Weiss met her wife, Nellie Bowles, when they both worked at the New York Times in 2018. Weiss was at the Gray Lady as an opinion columnist, and Bowles was working the tech beat. The two initially got together for coffee at the cafeteria of the paper to discuss a story Weiss thought Bowles should cover. As they shared in a talk with the American Jewish University, Bowles was instantly attracted to Weiss, but Weiss was initially hesitant. It would be six months before the two started dating, and got married in 2020 in a California strip mall. That same year, they jointly created the Common Sense newsletter on Substack.

Bowles gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in 2022, and welcomed their second child two years later. During that time, the duo renamed their Substack The Free Press and turned the newsletter into a media company. It was bought out by Paramount for about $150 million in October 2025. That same month, Weiss was named editor-in-chief of CBS News, and oversaw a number of controversial layoffs. Problems within the network continued into 2026. After being part of "60 Minutes" for 20 years, Anderson Cooper left, supposedly, to be with his children more. But sources told Status that the truth was, "He wasn't comfortable with the direction the show was taking under Bari, and is in a position where he doesn't have to put up with it."

Perhaps worst of all for Weiss, ratings have been dropping. Maybe she can get Kate McKinnon to host the news for a rating boost. After all, the comedian has anchor experience on "SNL's Weekend Update."