CBS News Names Tony Dokoupil Evening News Anchor, Matt Gutman as Chief Correspondent

A new era will soon dawn at CBS News: It has named CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil the new anchor of its flagship broadcast, CBS Evening News, and Matt Gutman as its chief correspondent. 

Dokoupil’s appointment was announced on Wednesday morning, with CBS News’ editor-in-chief Bari Weiss saying he “believes in old school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night.”

CBS News president Tom Cibrowski added, “Tony is what everyone wants in an evening-news anchor–authentic, compassionate, unafraid.”

Dokoupil will assume his new role on Monday, January 5, 2026, and embark on a cross-country tour in his first month, a tour the network describes as an effort “to go where the story is.”

“The strength of our nation is that we benefit from fair reporting and the open discussion of all ideas,” Dokoupil said. “For more than 60 years, the Evening News has been a bedrock of that process. I’m honored to join a fearless team at this important moment, and with what I can promise is a commitment to trust and the plain truth.”

Dokoupil has been with CBS News since 2016, joining as a New York-based correspondent. He was at MSNBC before that. Three years later, he joined the morning roundtable on CBS Mornings (formerly CBS This Morning) as a co-anchor. 

Dokoupil takes over from John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, whose tenures were short-lived. The current version of CBS Evening News debuted in January under a different leadership, and the co-anchors did not have the chance to fully flesh out Bill Owen‘s vision for the evening news broadcast as he departed the network in April. The revamp of the news program has not moved the needle as the newscast continues to languish in third place in the ratings.

On Wednesday’s edition of CBS Mornings, Dokoupil was congratulated by his morning co-hosts, including Gayle King, Nate Burleson, and Vlad Duthiers. He took the opportunity to acknowledge his colleagues, saying, “This is the best job I have ever had in television.”

.@tonydokoupil has been named anchor of the @CBSEveningNews. Starting Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, he will usher in an ambitious new era for America’s longest-running nightly newscast.

In his first month, Dokoupil will get out from behind his desk and meet viewers in cities and towns… pic.twitter.com/4wTmLQcQHY

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 10, 2025

Meanwhile, Gutman’s appointment was announced on Tuesday, with the network snatching him away from ABC News, where he was their chief national correspondent.

Beginning in his new role on January 5, 2026, based in Los Angeles, Gutman will have a significant presence across CBS News, reporting for CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News. He will also serve as the lead correspondent for 48 Hours and will contribute to future seasons of its Sunday newsmagazine show, 60 Minutes.

“I am thrilled to be joining CBS, a network with TV news’ most storied past and most exciting future,” Gutman said. “With Bari and Tom at the helm, our mission is to tell the most important news stories and bring our audience along with us to places they wouldn’t otherwise be able to go, to give a voice to those who might otherwise not be heard, and to tell it straight.”    

Dokoupil and Gutman’s appointments represent the first of many changes Weiss is set to execute since landing at CBS News in October. In her short tenure, the news network has also seen key executives depart and undergone layoffs, which were scheduled before her arrival and part of an overall workforce reduction initiated by its parent company, Paramount Skydance.

Neither Weiss nor CBS News has disclosed what the plans are moving forward for its morning franchise, CBS Mornings, post-Dokoupil’s exit.