What To Know
- CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss will moderate a televised town hall interview with Erika Kirk on December 10, focusing on faith, grief, perseverance, and the legacy of Erika’s late husband, Charlie Kirk.
- This event marks Weiss’ first on-air appearance for CBS News since her appointment, as she seeks to reshape the network and is actively searching for a new host for CBS Evening News.
- Erika Kirk, now CEO of Turning Point USA after her husband’s fatal shooting, will discuss her personal journey and leadership of the conservative organization during the town hall, which will air on December 13.
Bari Weiss is set to moderate a CBS News town hall with Erika Kirk next week in New York City, with the discussion to be recorded for later television broadcast.
According to an unpublicized online registration form, the live event will take place on Wednesday, December 10, at 12 pm ET and will cover “faith, grief, perseverance and the memory of [Erika’s] husband, Charlie Kirk.”
The event will be filmed and aired on CBS News on Saturday, December 13, according to internal marketing materials reviewed by The Guardian. This will mark Weiss’ first time appearing on CBS News since taking over as the network’s editor-in-chief in October.
Per The Guardian, the online registration form includes questions such as “Do you consider yourself a conservative? If so, why?” and “Are you grieving the loss of a loved one?” There are also questions about whether the person considers themselves to be an evangelical Christian.
Erika is the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot on September 10 while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University. Since Charlie’s passing, Erika has taken over his role as CEO of Turning Point USA, the non-profit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.
Weiss, who co-founded the news outlet The Free Press, was appointed as the new CBS News editor-in-chief by Paramount CEO David Ellison in October. Since then, Weiss has been working behind the scenes to put a stamp on the network, with a particular focus on shaking up CBS Evening News.
As previously reported, Weiss is on the hunt for a new host for the network’s flagship show. CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil and the show’s former anchor Norah O’Donnell are among the names being considered. However, Weiss has reportedly also sent feelers to Fox News’ Bret Baier, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and ABC News’ Matt Gutman.
Current CBS Evening News co-host John Dickerson, who anchors the show alongside Maurice DuBois, will depart at the end of the year.