Gayle King's contract renewed for a year amid speculation over TV future

Gayle King has signed a one-year renewal contract with CBS News.

The popular CBS Mornings co-host signed the short-term deal with the network, despite a spokesperson previously telling Page Six they expect King "to have a very long future here".

The outlet reports that King, who is 71, will pivot into a role in the vein of her former co-anchor Norah O'Donnell, who helmed the network's coveted Evening News, and then stepped back to become a senior correspondent.

Speculation about King's position at the network hit fever-pitch after Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief in October. She and Weiss finally sat down over lunch in January, and CBS boasted about King's "long future" following their lunch meeting. Weiss then proclaimed after they reached a deal, "There is only one Gayle King. We're so proud that she'll continue to call CBS home. We're thrilled to have her on in the morning, and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences."

Weiss promoted King's former co-host Tony Dokoupil to anchor of Evening News at the start of the year.

In March, King, who is best friends with TV legend Oprah Winfrey, secured an interview with Michael Jordan after a years-long pursuit in what was billed a major win for the network.

A CBS spokesperson told Page Six, "Rumours about Gayle's contract and future at CBS News have been demonstrably false. As we've said all along, she is a truly valued part of CBS News, and we couldn't be more excited about our shared future with her."