A former CBS News producer has raised allegations of “race-based firings” following significant layoffs at the network. On TikTok, he claimed that all the producers let go during the layoffs were people of color, while their white colleagues were given new positions. The parent company, Paramount Skydance, implemented these layoffs recently, affecting around 100 staff members.
Trey Sherman, who is Black, worked as an associate producer for CBS Evening News+, a streaming version of the network’s flagship show, which was canceled during this round of cuts. He had also been part of CBS’s race and culture department, which saw its closure amid the layoffs.
In a TikTok posted on Wednesday, Sherman shared, “I just got fired from my job at CBS, and the producers on my team who were fired are all people of color. The people who stay with the company and are reassigned are all white.”
He described a tense conversation with CBS executives, where one claimed he did his best to retain affected staff, but then revealed that those who kept their positions were individuals he had “previously worked with.” Sherman called this explanation “racist” and argued that the outcome itself was discriminatory, regardless of intent.
Through discussions with former colleagues, he discovered the racial imbalance in the layoffs. He approached his white colleagues individually to ask whether they were going to be let go, to which they all replied no.
Sherman subsequently confronted executives, accusing them of dishonesty regarding the layoffs. He emphasized that executives stated layoffs were based on familiarity rather than merit, but he contended, “If the outcome of that decision is racist, then the action was racist. It is condemned.”
A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment, but network officials confirmed that the layoffs impacted over 100 staff members across different programs and departments, including the ones associated with Sherman.
In addition to the layoffs, the CBS Johannesburg bureau is being closed, with coverage from Africa now redirected to London. There are plans to merge CBS Saturday Morning with weekday staff as streaming programs are also set for cancellation.
This restructuring at CBS News is part of a broader initiative under CEO David Ellison to move the company away from its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Sherman’s race and culture department, established after the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, was eliminated in these cuts. This aligns with the views of CBS’s newly appointed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, who has publicly criticized DEI initiatives.
Officials at CBS stated that the plans for layoffs had been underway for several months. Weiss, who officially started her role just three weeks ago, didn’t make the decision regarding staff cuts, which were decided prior to her arrival.
Additionally, Sherman is not the only ex-employee voicing concerns about CBS News. Veteran foreign correspondent Deborah Pata is contemplating legal action after her own dismissal. Reports suggest that Weiss intervened to save a male correspondent’s position after he expressed support for Israel, while Pata’s name appeared on a list for termination.
