‘CBS Mornings’ Co-Host Gayle King On Controversial Ta-Nehisi Coates Interview: “Life Is Hard. The News Is Hard. Sometimes, You Have Hard Conversations On Television”

CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King says the show’s controversial interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates earlier this fall has been “a learning experience for everybody.”

During a panel Tuesday dedicated to the morning show at PaleyFest New York, King and executive producer Shawna Thomas were the only ones to respond to a question about the episode from moderator Lisa Ling.

“Life is hard,” King said. “The news is hard. Sometimes, you have hard conversations on television.”

She continued, “We know that it comes with a great responsibility. And we’re mindful of that. Certain topics you know are just hot-button issues. You have to be very careful about how you ask the questions, how the questions are received. So, I think it’s been a learning thing for everybody.”

The comments came about three weeks after the show became the backdrop for an unusually public clash between CBS News and parent Paramount Global after Ta-Nehisi Coates made an appearance to promote his new book. Dokoupil, who is Jewish, edged out his co-hosts and aimed a series of pointed questions at Coates, challenging his beliefs about Israel and support of Palestine. CBS News execs told employees that Dokoupil’s questioning did not meet the news division’s “editorial standards.” Shari Redstone later strongly backed Dokoupil, on the same day that Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks issued a statement backing CBS News execs and saying the episode required more “substantive” internal review of biases.

“There have been a lot of conversations about that conversation,” Thomas said. “Hard conversations. And they will continue. I think we have learned a lot from those and we have more to learn. I’m hoping those conversations make us better journalists and better listeners.”

The discord spilled out in the open following a period of upheaval for everyone working at CBS News and Paramount Global, which is poised to be sold to Skydance Media in a deal slated to close in the first half of 2025. The newsroom went through a round of layoffs last month that saw such personalities as Jeff Glor, co-host of CBS Mornings on the weekend, exit, part of Paramount’s trimming of 15% of its U.S. staff.

During the summer, Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews announced that she was stepping down as president of CBS News, a position she held for less than a year. That was followed by a restructuring of the news leadership team, with Roark named to the new position of president of editorial and newsgathering, reporting to McMahon.

The hour-long panel spared only two minutes for the Dokoupil-Coates Affair, emphasizing instead the show’s origins and the back stories of on-air talent and Thomas.