Neeraj Khemlani, CBS News Co-president With ‘Combustible Temper,’ Steps Down After Two Turbulent Years

CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani is stepping down from his role at the company.  According to Variety which first broke the news, he sent a note to CBS staff announcing his departure. He shared that he will be “moving on to a new chapter with a multi-year, multi-platform first-look deal with the corporation to develop content like documentaries, scripted series and books for Simon & Schuster,” the magazine said. 

“It’s an opportunity that will allow me to write, report and develop stories that I’ve long wanted to pursue,” he wrote. Meanwhile, CEO Gorge Cheeks, who brought in Khemlani, told Variety that the two “had been discussing his potential transition for some time.”

Khemlani arrived at the Paramount Global unit in 2021 to oversee CBS News and local stations along with Wendy McMahon. It marked his return to the network,  having earlier worked there from 1998 to 2006 as a producer at “60 Minutes.” He left to work at the news arm of Yahoo before taking on a series of executive roles at Hearst.

During his tenure, he helped to rework CBS News’ morning programming,” Variety said. He helped “eliminate divisions between the linear news staff and CBS News streaming operations; bolster its investigative unit; and inject new talent into the famously insular division,” the report said. The network was also “gearing up” for the 2024 presidential election cycle “under his aegis,” the report added.

Earlier today, the New York Post published a story online that the Indian American had been calling confidantes to tell them he’s out. “Rumors of his exit hit a fever pitch last week,” the publication said, after it ran “an exclusive story on July 30 that Khemlani was being monitored by an HR executive after a slew of complaints for his alleged “bullying and rude” behavior.” The report also mentioned an incident at an April 30 budget meeting where Khemlani “blew up at Chief Financial Officer Stacey Benson and another female executive on her team.

Last January, nearly eight months after he  assumed his role at CBS, the Post had reported that Khemlani, who apparently had “combustible temper” was labelled a “rude” and “tough” boss. It said that he “is slashing costs in a bid to revamp the struggling network,” but “is demanding more work.” Citing sources, the report added that his behavior has prompted several staffers to file human resources complaints. CBS’s “360 performance review,” which began in 2022, was focused on how Khemlani speaks to women and employees of color, the Post said.

According to the Post his “schedule for this week had been cleared despite the fact he was slated to return Monday from a week-long family vacation in Europe.” The network “had planned to announce a restructuring on Monday,” The Post added, quoting a CBS insider.

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Meanwhile, Variety speculates that McMahon is likely to take over Khemlani’s duties. 

At Hearst, Khemlani served as the chief creative officer, where he worked across the company’s global brands and with its creative teams, managers and group heads to innovate the best possible products, content offerings and user experiences on every platform. Before that, he served as executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, where he focused on growing the company’s nonfiction television production activities.  

Prior to Hearst, he was vice president and general manager of Yahoo! News & Information as well as head of Yahoo! Originals. In this position, he managed the business and products of Yahoo! News, Tech, Weather and Education, original video productions across the Yahoo! Media group and the editorial programming for Yahoo! Finance, as executive editor.