Tony Dokoupil, the anchor of “CBS Evening News,” admitted to having a somewhat rocky moment during his first regular broadcast on Monday night. He appeared to fumble with the teleprompter and struggled to determine which segment to address, resulting in a rather awkward silence that lasted a few seconds as viewers were left staring at the screen.
Dokoupil had already made headlines over the weekend while hosting a special Saturday edition focused on the U.S. detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
This Monday’s show marked Dokoupil’s official debut as anchor after his recent appointment by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
The broadcast kicked off with continuing coverage of Venezuela, with Dokoupil presenting the U.S. operation as a significant challenge to opposing forces in the region. He posed an interesting question, “What is it actually about?”
He explained, “If you zoom out a little, you might see the outline of an answer. For decades, Russia, China and Iran have established their presence in Venezuela… With President Maduro out of the picture, their influence may also fade.”
After this segment, Dokoupil seemed eager to move forward, saying, “Okay, some other news.” However, there was a noticeable mix-up as he switched topics, stumbling between segments. He mentioned various names before pausing for what felt like eternity to viewers.
Eventually, he noted, “We’re doing Mark Kelly,” yet the moment of confusion led to about four seconds of unexpected silence on air.
Some CBS officials expressed disappointment regarding Dokoupil’s errors during his debut broadcast, with one commenting, “Those things happen.” Another observed that, while unfortunate for an opening night, such mistakes are part of the learning process. An insider noted that an experienced anchor would typically anticipate mishaps like this and should be able to manage them smoothly.
This misstep kind of set a rocky tone for his first evening as anchor. He stepped into this role amid some existing turmoil within CBS’s news division. Weiss, who recently became editor-in-chief, is still navigating challenges and facing some internal pushback, as reported.
Having co-hosted “CBS Morning” since 2019, Dokoupil was appointed to anchor after competing network negotiations didn’t yield the desired results. His promotion came on the heels of a short-lived co-anchor setup involving John Dickerson and Maurice Dubois.
In preparation for Dokoupil’s debut, Weiss had planned an extensive promotional bus tour across ten cities for the first two weeks, intended to connect him directly with audiences. However, this plan was scrapped due to the Venezuelan situation, and instead, Dokoupil’s debut will occur in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes atmosphere isn’t so great. Staff have voiced concerns over the logistical adjustments Weiss made last minute, which included demands for heavier security measures—something that clashed with Dokoupil’s aim to reach out to everyday Americans.
With frustrations growing among the CBS Evening News team, morale has dipped significantly, particularly towards Kim Harvey, who was supportive of Weiss’s requests. Some employees were busy reworking filming locations during the holiday break after Weiss imposed new conditions.
Additionally, reports surfaced about a production plan that included a wide variety of segments, ranging from serious political discussions to lighter, more entertaining pieces, like Dokoupil jet skiing with DJ Khaled.
Efforts to reach out to CBS News for comments on these matters have been made.
