“CBS Mornings” slid 6% below its 2026 average as Bari Weiss’s CBS News turmoil continues and “60 Minutes” churn follows Scott Pelley’s June 2 termination after a Monday clash.
For “CBS Mornings,” the morning rush has come with a noticeable chill. The Gayle King-centered show is now tracking 6% below its 2026 average, as CBS News faces ongoing turmoil involving Bari Weiss and “60 Minutes” roils after Scott Pelley’s exit.
The decline sharpened around the disruption at the flagship news program. Scott Pelley was terminated from “60 Minutes” on Tuesday, June 2, following a Monday clash in which Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the program. In the wake of that fallout, “CBS Mornings” saw ratings lows.
On June 3, the show averaged 1.8 million total viewers and 313,000 viewers in the key 25-54 demo, Nielsen figures show. One day later, total viewership fell 11%, dropping to 1.59 million, while demo viewership slipped 28% to reach 225,000.
The show did recover in the following weeks. But across June 3 through June 14, “CBS Mornings” remained down 6% compared to its 2026 average so far.
A boost did show up when Elisabeth Hasselbeck stepped in alongside King and Nate Burleson. Hasselbeck, a right-wing voice previously on “The View,” helped lift performance during her three-day run in June. In those three days, “CBS Mornings” rose 5% among total viewers and 2% in the demo compared to the week prior.
The momentum appeared most clearly in the day-to-day swing. On Tuesday, June 16, total viewers were up 10% and demo viewers were up 8% compared to the previous Tuesday. On Wednesday, June 17, the show was up 9% in total viewers and 15% in the demo compared to the previous Wednesday. Both days also brought growth among women 25-54. with Tuesday’s episode up 19% compared to the prior week and Wednesday’s episode up 31% in the demo.
Even so, “CBS Mornings” is still averaging 1.7 million total viewers and 275,000 viewers in the demo—its lowest-rated June so far, following the worst-rated May the show has seen.
A CBS News insider pointed out a potential bright spot inside the broader numbers, saying ratings in the 25-54 demo are tracking up from Q1 to Q2. If that holds, it would mark the first time the show has seen growth across that time frame.
CBS Mornings Gayle King Bari Weiss 60 Minutes Scott Pelley Elisabeth Hasselbeck Nielsen ratings 25-54 demo
So the ratings dropped cuz of office drama? Sounds like ppl just don’t care anymore.
Sounds like they’re bleeding viewers because of drama, not news. People are tired.
Wait Bari Weiss is on CBS now? I saw something about her “murdering” the show?? Like that’s crazy lol. But also if 60 Minutes is imploding then of course morning ratings would drop too, right? Nielsen numbers don’t lie.
I don’t even get why they’re blaming Bari Weiss like she runs Nielsen. Maybe the time slot is cursed or whatever. And Hasselbeck coming in for 3 days… that boosted it, but only because people wanted to watch her, not because any of the other stuff got fixed. Still feels like the whole company is just rotating hosts like it’s a game show.
I don’t even watch CBS mornings but that Bari Weiss stuff has been everywhere. If “60 Minutes” is in chaos too, that’s probably why people quit. Also Hasselbeck popping in for 3 days like that feels random.
6% drop, 11% drop, 28% in the demo… man that’s a lot of math for TV gossip. I bet the real reason is Scott Pelley got fired and then everyone got mad and stopped watching. But then it says it recovered later so maybe everyone just forgot. Also why is “25-54” always the focus like older people are dead or something? Either way, if CBS keeps fighting internally, viewers are gonna tune out.
Wait did Pelley get fired because he called her something about murder? That seems insane, but also maybe it was just editing lol. Ratings being down 28% in the demo feels like a huge number, like was that one bad day only?
Honestly I blame the whole “news turmoil” thing on streaming. People don’t want morning news drama, they want weather and toast. 1.59 million vs 1.8 million like ok but who cares when YouTube summaries exist anyway. If the 25-54 demo is “tracking up” from Q1 to Q2 then why are they saying it’s still the lowest-rated June? Makes no sense.