In a bombshell that has Rockefeller Center buzzing louder than a malfunctioning teleprompter, top CBS brass are quietly courting Today show icon Hoda Kotb to slide into Gayle King’s coveted anchor chair on CBS Mornings, with one brutal phrase echoing through executive suites: Gayle is “overpaid and underperforming.”
Sources deep inside the network say the plan is already in motion, and the clock is ticking faster than a commercial break countdown.
The drama exploded behind closed doors last month when CBS’s latest internal ratings memo landed like a grenade. Despite a glossy relaunch, star-studded guest list, and Gayle’s nonstop headline-making interviews (hello, R. Kelly meltdown), CBS Mornings is still stuck in a distant third place behind Good Morning America and Today, trailing by as many as 1.2 million viewers on bad weeks.
And the price tag? A jaw-dropping $13 million a year for Gayle King, more than double what ABC pays Robin Roberts and nearly triple Hoda’s reported NBC salary.
“Someone finally did the math,” one high-level insider dished. “Thirteen million dollars to finish third every single morning? The board is furious. They love Gayle, but love doesn’t pay the electric bill at Black Rock.”
Enter Hoda Kotb, the 61-year-old ray of sunshine who has been the beating heart of Today for nearly two decades. Network spies say CBS executives have already held two clandestine dinners with Hoda’s camp, dangling a deal that would make her the undisputed queen of morning television: co-anchor alongside Tony Dokoupil and Vlad Duthiers, a lighter 7-9 a.m. format that plays to her warmth, and, most importantly, a paycheck under $7 million, saving the network a cool $6 million a year.
The best part for CBS? Hoda’s contract with NBC conveniently expires in February 2026, and sources say she’s “beyond frustrated” watching Savannah Guthrie hog the spotlight while her own fourth-hour show with Jenna Bush Hager gets shuffled around like an unwanted stepchild.
“Hoda feels undervalued at NBC,” a friend of the star confided. “She built that 10 a.m. hour into a cash cow, turned Today into the feel-good escape America needs, and still gets treated like the sidekick. CBS is offering her the throne. She’s listening.”
Meanwhile, Gayle King, 70, has no idea the rug is being yanked out from under her Louboutins.
Insiders say she’s been blindsided by whispers, telling friends she’s “shocked” anyone would question her value after landing exclusives with everyone from Jay-Z to Vice President Harris. She recently bragged on her SiriusXM radio show about renewing her CBS contract “for years to come,” oblivious to the fact that executives are already drafting exit scenarios.
The proposed transition is ruthless in its simplicity: ease Gayle into a “special correspondent” role with big-event interviews (think Oscars red carpet, royal weddings), keep her face on the air to avoid a PR bloodbath, and crown Hoda as the fresh, relatable, cost-effective face of CBS Mornings starting September 2026.
Network higher-ups are reportedly obsessed with Hoda’s magic touch. When she took over the 7-9 a.m. slot after Matt Lauer’s firing, Today’s ratings soared. Her fourth hour consistently beats GMA3 in the key demo. And unlike Gayle’s occasionally polarizing moments (remember the Lisa Leslie Kobe interview backlash?), Hoda is Teflon: America’s mom friend who cries with wildfire victims, dances with country stars, and never makes anyone reach for the remote.
“Gayle is legendary, but she’s polarizing,” one executive allegedly told the room. “Half the country changes the channel the second they hear her voice. Hoda? Grandmas in Iowa and millennials in Brooklyn both set their alarms for her. That’s the unicorn we need.”
The money talk is merciless. CBS is bleeding from Paramount’s financial mess, and new CEO Brian Roberts is on a warpath to slash costs. Gayle’s salary has become exhibit A in every budget meeting. “For what we pay Gayle, we could hire Hoda and still have enough left over for a whole new set,” one source quipped.
Word of the secret courtship has already trickled to Gayle’s inner circle. Friends say she’s “furious but playing it cool,” telling pals she’ll “never be pushed out” and reminding everyone she’s Oprah’s best friend, as if that alone could save her seat.
But the numbers don’t lie, and neither do the focus groups. Test audiences shown mock-up graphics of “CBS Mornings with Hoda Kotb” lit up like Christmas trees, calling her “warm,” “trustworthy,” and “someone I’d have coffee with.” Gayle’s graphics? Words like “serious” and “intense” dominated, followed by a devastating “I watch her on election nights, not breakfast.”
If the deal goes through, it would be one of the biggest anchor swaps in morning TV history, bigger than Katie Couric jumping to CBS, bigger than Megyn Kelly’s NBC disaster. And the timing couldn’t be more delicious: just months after Norah O’Donnell was gently nudged out of the Evening News chair, another powerhouse woman over 65 finds herself on the chopping block.
Hoda, for her part, is keeping cards close to her chest. Spotted sipping rosé at a Hamptons hotspot last weekend, she laughed off questions with her signature giggle: “I’m just happy to wake up every morning!” But insiders say she’s already house-hunting in Connecticut, closer to CBS studios.
As one producer put it: “Gayle built the castle. Hoda’s about to move in and redecorate.”
CBS declined to comment, calling the rumors “pure speculation.” NBC refused to address Hoda’s contract status. Gayle’s team fired back a statement calling her “the gold standard of broadcast journalism” and hinting at “many exciting projects ahead.”
But in the brutal world of morning television, where smiles hide knives and ratings are religion, one truth is crystal clear: someone’s about to get a very expensive wake-up call.
And America will be watching every awkward second of the handover with their coffee in hand.
Gayle King woke up this morning thinking she was untouchable. By next fall, she might be waking up to Hoda Kotb smiling back at her from her own chair.
