McMahon on Fire & Politico’s Prince Valiant

Wendy McMahon
The parent company is on the verge of being sold to Skydance, and it’s hard to imagine how McMahon fits into the picture. Photo: UPI/Alamy Stock Photo
Dylan Byers
February 20, 2025

On Wednesday, CBS News editorial and newsgathering chief Adrienne Roark told staff that she would be leaving the network after just seven months in the job. In light of all the myriad controversies and internal drama emanating out of Black Rock in recent months—the Tony DokoupilTa-Nehisi Coates dustup, which divided the newsroom; the controversial 60 Minutes segment on Gaza, which invited scrutiny from the Anti-Defamation League; the still-impending settlement with Trump over 60’s Kamala interview; the confounding overhaul of Evening News, where ratings continue to slide week by week; Shari’s general discontent with all of it; etcetera—Roark’s sudden departure seemed like yet another blemish on the network and, by extension, its chief executive, Wendy McMahon (even if, admittedly, only a majority of these things are really her fault).