The shockwaves from CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert are still reverberating across the television industry. But the bombshell announcement may only have been the beginning. Behind closed doors, insiders say CBS is bracing for an even deeper purge — one that could claim some of the network’s most recognizable stars.

The network insists Colbert’s departure in May 2026 is “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop.” But multiple sources now suggest that the cancellation marks the start of a broader restructuring — a bloodletting that could alter CBS’s identity for years to come.

Colbert’s Exit: The First Domino Falls

When CBS announced that Colbert’s tenure — and the Late Show franchise itself — would come to an end, fans were stunned. Colbert had been a ratings powerhouse, a cultural lightning rod, and one of the last true late-night titans. Yet the network declared the show “irreplaceable,” opting not to find a successor.

On paper, it was a financial move. In reality, industry insiders see it as a warning shot. “Once you axe your flagship late-night show, nothing is safe,” one former CBS executive told Variety. “The writing is on the wall: CBS is entering survival mode.”

The News Division Shake-Up

The next domino may fall within CBS News. According to insiders, newly installed CBS News President Tom Cibrowski is orchestrating sweeping changes at the Evening News broadcast. His plan? To consolidate the show’s dual-anchor format by eliminating either John Dickerson or Maurice DuBois.

The move is seen not as a creative decision but a political one. “Tom is securing his position by making bold cuts,” an insider told Radar Online. “He wants to send a message that no one’s untouchable.”

But the shake-up doesn’t stop there. Cibrowski is also reportedly preparing to oust Evening News executive producer Guy Campanile, whom insiders describe as resistant to change. “Guy thinks he knows better than Tom,” one source said bluntly.

If confirmed, these moves would represent the most significant overhaul at CBS News in over a decade.

Gayle King in the Crosshairs?

Even bigger names may soon face scrutiny. Gayle King, one of the most visible anchors on CBS Mornings, is rumored to be in an increasingly precarious position. Insiders claim the show has been struggling to maintain viewership, dipping below two million and posting steep declines among key demographics.

Some executives reportedly worry the program has leaned too heavily on what critics derisively call “woke” programming — socially conscious segments that have alienated certain viewers without drawing enough new ones.

“Gayle is an icon, no question,” one CBS insider admitted to The New York Post. “But when the numbers keep falling, even icons aren’t untouchable.”

The Shadow of Paramount

Behind all of this looms the shadow of Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company. Paramount itself is facing mounting financial pressure, caught between the declining revenues of traditional broadcast television and the costly demands of the streaming wars.

Earlier this year, Paramount President Jeff Shell admitted that late-night programming faces a “huge problem.” With audiences shifting to YouTube and TikTok, he said, “We can’t make it work economically anymore.” That sobering calculation applies not just to Colbert, but to nearly every big-budget program under CBS’s banner.

In other words: if Colbert can be cut, anyone can.

What’s Really at Stake

The potential purge at CBS is more than a shuffle of on-air personalities. It’s a battle for the soul of the network. For decades, CBS built its reputation on stability and trust — from Walter Cronkite’s steady hand on the evening news to David Letterman’s irreverence in late-night. But the network’s recent moves suggest an identity crisis, with executives chasing short-term savings at the expense of long-term legacy.

Industry critics warn that CBS risks eroding its brand. “If you gut the personalities that viewers trust, you’re left with a hollow shell,” media analyst Claire Atkinson said. “CBS could win on spreadsheets and lose with audiences.”

The Human Toll

Behind every corporate decision are the people it affects. Colbert himself, visibly emotional in his farewell monologue, thanked his 200-person staff, calling them “family.” Anchors like Dickerson, DuBois, and King now face the same uncertainty — the possibility that their careers could be upended overnight.

“CBS says these are financial decisions,” one producer told The Mirror US. “But for those of us inside the building, it feels like living with a guillotine hanging over your head.”

Is This the End of CBS as We Know It?

The turmoil raises a chilling question: is CBS quietly dismantling the very pillars that made it a broadcasting powerhouse?

The cancellation of The Late Show has already cemented 2026 as the end of an era. But with whispers of more high-profile exits, the network may be on the brink of something far bigger — a transformation that could either save CBS from financial collapse or strip it of the very identity that made it matter.

For viewers, the uncertainty is agonizing. Who will survive the cuts? Who will be shown the door? And when the dust settles, will CBS still look like the network America grew up with — or just another casualty of the streaming age?

One thing is clear: Colbert was only the first.