CBS News Tony Dokoupil’s job ‘already in jeopardy’ after ‘disastrous’ start
The new man was criticized on social media after both broadcasts, with sources saying Dokoupil is nothing more than a shilling for Weiss and her agenda.
“It’s hard to come from a position of authority when everyone, including you, knows you’re just ‘Bari’s b—-‘,” one industry insider shared. Radar. “Curious to see how long the Ellisons will tolerate this total defenestration of CBS News before they intervene.”
At least not that many people saw the blunders – but that’s not exactly a good thing.
Ratings for Dokoupil’s Monday debut were significantly lower across major advertising demographics. According to Nielsen data obtained by Radarviewership fell by 22 percent compared to the same day last year.
The numbers worsen compared to other splashy anchor debuts on the Tiffany network — down 17 percent from the start of the duo of Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson, who replaced Dokoupil; 20 percent lower than Norah O’Donnell before them; and a whopping 67 percent less than Katie Couric’s 2006 premiere.
One insider blasted the news broadcasts and the mistakes.
“Speaking of amateur hour – CBS couldn’t even get through a 30-minute show without huge mistakes,” the source said. “And this man is delusional enough to put Walter Cronkite in the shade?”
The wheels came off almost immediately for Dokoupil, who had a visible meltdown during his first official broadcast.
After opening the broadcast with breaking news about the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Dokoupil found himself in the news when he became confused about which story to cover next: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s announcement that he would not seek re-election, or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s censure of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
The 45-year-old tried to stammer through a segment.
“On other news, as you just heard from Jill… on other news now, on Governor Walz,” he said as Kelly’s photo appeared over his shoulder. “No, we’re going to do Mark Kelly.”
That was followed by an uncomfortably long silence before the CBS crew finally settled on the Kelly story.
As Kelly’s video started rolling, a clearly confused Dokoupil shook his head and grinned, before trailing off: “First day, big trouble here.”
Just a day later, Dokoupil, reporting remotely from Miami, his former hometown, ended his broadcast with a glorified salute to former Florida senator and current Secretary of State Rubio.
“Whatever you think of his politics, you have to admit it’s an impressive resume,” Dokoupil told viewers.
He then shared a collection of supposedly comedic AI memes that cast Rubio in other roles, such as Prime Minister of Greenland, the head of Hilton Hotels, the new manager of Manchester United and, finally, as the new Michelin Man.
Dokoupil concluded the broadcast by saying, “These memes may not mean much, but for Rubio’s hometown fans, many of whom are here in Miami, it’s a sign of how Florida, once an American punchline, has become a leader on the world stage.
“Marco Rubio, we salute you. You are the ultimate Florida man.”
