“CBS This Morning” wants Oprah Winfrey to save the day and fill in for Charlie Rose after he was axed due to a shocking sexual harassment scandal, sources exclusively tell Page Six.
“They are begging Oprah to fill in,” said a TV insider. “Not full time . . . But they are hoping she’ll do one day, two days, one hour, fill in ’til Christmas. Anything.”
Reports have said a rotating cast of CBS News talent will step in. But the network’s not exactly known for its deep bench of stars compared to rivals NBC and ABC. Suggested Rose replacements on Twitter have so far included Tony Dokoupil and Bianna Golodryga. Little-known Jeff Glor was just tapped to take over “CBS Evening News.”
Winfrey joined CBS’ “60 Minutes” in September, and she is best friends with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King. An insider said of the strategy to land Winfrey: “Unless you get a superstar [on the show], it’s always going to be, ‘Charlie’s missing.’”