A veteran journalist recently dished on their (unfortunate) new status as an ex-CBS News contributor, following a wave of layoffs.
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Lisa Ling, 52, confirmed her dismissal in an Oct. 30 Instagram video, one day after CBS’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, slashed roughly 1,000 jobs across its divisions in the first round of cost-cutting since its $8 billion merger concluded in August.
“So yesterday, I got a call from CBS that I was among the massive layoffs at the network,” Ling explained in the footage.
“Now this didn’t entirely surprise me, because I wasn’t a full-time employee, but rather a contributor, and we’re easy to cut,” she added. “My heart, though, goes out to all of those who had been working at the network for many, many years.”
“I worked with some wonderful people at CBS, and I was so proud of the multi-part series I was able to do on caregiving, psychedelic healing and the state of spirituality, among so many other segments, things so relevant to so many of us now,” the former The View co-host added.
“All of the series had this thread of healing running through them, and I wanted to let you know that I am developing a platform that will go into even greater depth on a whole range of issues related to intergenerational strength and healing.”
Fans Rally Behind Lisa Ling After CBS News Firing
Of course, the veteran journalist’s fans rallied behind her in the comments section to the candid post.
“I’m very disappointed in the direction CBS is heading. I will follow you wherever you go. Your reporting has always been first-rate from the heart. It’s their loss,” one fan wrote.
“Looking forward to everything that comes next, Lisa!” actress Molly Ringwald chimed in.
According to Deadline, Ling’s dismissal was part of a newsroom downsizing that affected approximately 100 CBS News employees, including CBS Saturday Morning co-anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, foreign correspondent Debora Patta, and correspondents Janet Shamlian, Nancy Chen, and Nikki Battiste.
Ling joined CBS in 2023 after nine years at CNN, where she hosted This Life with Lisa Ling. She was also a correspondent for ABC’s Nightline and co-hosted The View from 1999 to 2002.