Bari Weiss Puts ‘Honestly’ Podcast on Pause Amid CBS News Turmoil

Early Thursday morning, Bari Weiss, the head of CBS News, announced she is putting her podcast, Honestly, on pause for the foreseeable future.

Weiss shared the news on her Free Press platform, calling her role leading CBS News a “huge responsibility.” She said stepping back from the podcast was a difficult decision but necessary while she focuses on her new job. Weiss emphasized the break is temporary, adding that the show will return in a few months.

The announcement comes during a challenging period for Weiss at CBS. Since taking over the network’s news division—despite having a background primarily in opinion journalism—she has faced mounting criticism, particularly over her reported involvement with 60 Minutes.

The situation intensified after Status reported that Weiss had interfered with a segment critical of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. That reporting also said Weiss personally contacted journalists at other outlets to defend her actions—an unusual move for a network executive.

Media reporter Oliver Darcy noted that while internal disagreements are common, senior leaders rarely call reporters to argue their case during an active controversy. “Strong leaders keep disagreements within the house,” Darcy wrote, adding that such situations are usually handled by communications teams, not the executive involved.

According to the report, Weiss expressed frustration with CBS correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who publicly pushed back against the handling of the Trump-related story. Critics say taking those grievances outside the organization only deepened tensions inside the newsroom.

Weiss’s podcast pause also follows troubling ratings news. Status reported that her revamped CBS Evening News has seen a sharp drop in viewership, falling below 4 million viewers last Friday. By comparison, ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir averaged 8.2 million viewers, while NBC’s Nightly News With Tom Llamas drew about 6.7 million.

As scrutiny around her leadership continues, Weiss says she plans to focus fully on steering CBS News—at least for now—while her podcast remains on hold.