In early January 2026, Tony Dokoupil officially stepped in as the solo anchor of “CBS Evening News,” ushering in a fresh chapter for the long-running nightly newscast. The seasoned broadcaster, familiar to audiences from “CBS Mornings,” was selected by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to help narrow the ratings gap with ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “Nightly News.”
On his opening night, Dokoupil stumbled during a segment handoff and was heard saying, “big problems here,” as the control room scrambled to resolve a live technical glitch, a remark later removed from rebroadcasts of the program. The candid on-air moment quickly circulated across social media, igniting discussion about CBS’s new anchor choice while earning him admiration from some viewers for his openness in a typically tightly choreographed TV news setting.
CBS is promoting Dokoupil as an authentic, unflinching storyteller who will pair rapid-fire headline rundowns with deeper, on-the-ground reporting. This strategy is part of a broader push to modernize a broadcast that has long trailed in third place, with network executives leveraging his launch to drive wider strategic shifts at CBS News after the Skydance–Paramount deal, aiming to rebuild audience trust and reclaim prime-time advertising revenue.
Before joining CBS News in 2016, Dokoupil held roles at MSNBC, NBC News and publications such as Newsweek and The Daily Beast, building a reputation as a versatile reporter. In 2019, he moved into the co-host chair on “CBS Mornings” alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson, and now, at 44 and an Emmy Award winner who has reported from all 50 states, he says his mission on “CBS Evening News” is to deliver “plain truth” and balanced coverage in an era of intense political and media polarization.
