Wendy McMahon has stepped down as CBS News CEO, citing a "challenging" past few months, as the network faces mounting legal and political pressure from the Trump administration.
In a farewell note to the staff on Monday, Ms McMahon said, "It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It's time for me to move on and for this organisation to move forward with new leadership."
The resignation comes as CBS's parent company, Paramount, faces a $20 billion lawsuit from US President Donald Trump. The case is linked to a pre-election interview aired last year with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, which Mr Trump claims was damaging to him.
Legal experts say the lawsuit has no strong basis and is likely protected by free speech laws under the First Amendment. Still, Paramount has agreed to a mediation to calm the situation, especially as it tries to get government approval for its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Who Is Wendy McMahon?
Wendy McMahon is an American television executive. She graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Broadcast Journalism.
Ms McMahon began her career in television as a promotions manager at WTOC-TV in Savannah, Georgia. She then worked as promotions director at KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas, and as creative services director at CBS-owned WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.
In 2006, she was promoted to creative services director at CBS-owned WBZ-TV in Boston. After working for seven years within the CBS stations group, Ms McMahon moved to KABC-TV in Los Angeles, where she became vice president for programming and creative services. She later became senior vice president responsible for digital content and technology across the eight ABC Owned Television Stations.
In December 2017, Wendy McMahon was named president of the ABC Owned Television Stations, as per her LinkedIn account.
In April 2021, Ms McMahon left ABC to become co-president of the newly merged CBS News and Stations division, which combined local and national news operations for the first time. She worked alongside Neeraj Khemlani.
On August 14, 2023, following the resignation of her co-president Neeraj Khemlani, Ms McMahon was named the sole president and CEO of CBS News and Stations. She also took leadership of CBS Media Ventures, which distributes popular shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. During her tenure, Ms McMahon increased local news production at CBS Stations from 26,000 hours in 2021 to more than 35,000 hours by 2023.
On May 19, Ms McMahon resigned as CBS News CEO amid tensions between CBS and President Donald Trump.
Ms McMahon has received many accolades, including the 2019 Digital Leader of the Year by the National Association of Broadcasters, the 2019 Young Alumna of the Year from Louisiana State University, and numerous Emmy, Promax, Telly, and Broadcast Design Awards.
Wendy McMahon is married to William Burton, and they have a son.
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