Journalist Tony Dokoupil’s highly anticipated debut as the anchor of the newly revamped CBS Evening News on Monday drew sharp criticism from viewers and media insiders alike, with his first broadcast marked by on‑air missteps and tension surrounding the network’s editorial direction.
Dokoupil stepped into the historic anchor chair amid a broader overhaul under new CBS News Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss. The debut was meant to signal a fresh start for the legacy broadcast, but instead was widely described as awkward and error‑prone.
Who is Tony Dokoupil?
A graduate of Colgate University, Dokoupil studied history, and later earned a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He began his journalism career working for publications such as Newsweek and NBC News, and later became widely known as a co-anchor on CBS This Morning, where he covered major national and political stories.
He is also an author, having written the memoir ‘The Last Pirate: A Father, His Son, and the Golden Age of Marijuana’. In 2025, he was named the anchor of the CBS Evening News, succeeding Norah O’Donnell.
What went wrong with his debut?
Within the first minutes of the broadcast, Dokoupil introduced himself multiple times and struggled through transitions between story segments. One notable gaffe came when he misidentified Minnesota as the “Great Lake State,” a nickname actually associated with Michigan, underscoring a rocky on‑air performance that viewers were quick to highlight on social media, The Daily Beast reported.
A rocky start for Bari Weiss’ breezy new dude at CBS, Tony Dokoupil. At first blush, Mr. Fair & Fearless from Miami is no Cronkite. Too affected. More of a Katy Tur type. 😉@CBSEveningNews | #Dokoupil pic.twitter.com/5jLIx5YgJi
— Rob Sinclair (@iamrobsinclair) January 6, 2026
‘Dokoupil’s debut is embarrassing’
Viewers took to X and other platforms to express frustration, with some calling the debut “embarrassing” and tying the rough performance to broader concerns about Weiss’s leadership.
Critics argued the network appeared unsettled, with one commenter describing the broadcast as proof that CBS was “crumbling at a record rate”, according to TV Insider.
The controversy isn’t limited to Dokoupil’s delivery. In the days leading up to his first night on air, he sparked backlash for comments perceived as dismissive of CBS Evening News legend Walter Cronkite, promising viewers a version of the news that would be “more accountable and more transparent” than in Cronkite’s era.
That remark drew criticism from media observers who saw it as an unnecessary slight toward the program’s history, according to The Daily Beast.