Former CBS News anchor Jeff Vaughn has sued the broadcaster in federal court in Los Angeles for $5 million, claiming he was fired because of his age, race, gender, and sexual orientation, according to Courthouse News Service.
"Despite his show's successes, his great performance, and his exceptional relationship with his co-anchors, CBS removed Mr. Vaughn in place of a minority news anchor, because he was an experienced, older white, heterosexual, male," the complaint read.
In the complaint Vaughn, who worked for CBS Broadcasting for eight years and has more than three decades of experience in broadcast journalism, alleged, "CBS decided that there were too many white males at CBS, and it acted accordingly. It needed to solve its 'white problem' by firing successful white males."
According to the complaint, "implemented a policy that favored the hiring of individuals of certain groups and firing or refusing to hire older, white, heterosexual, males."
The complaint cited several examples of CBS trying to exclude Vaughn and attempts to leave him out of promotional material despite the fact that he "was the premier evening anchor at that time."
This included refusing to include him in the network's 20th anniversary special on the 9/11 terrorist attacks despite his personal experience covering the event in Manhattan. Instead, the complaint reads, "[h]is African American colleague hosted the show, and reporters from minority groups hosted all the featured stories. Not one of them had personally been present at ground zero reporting during the events of 9/11."
Vaughn is represented by America First Legal, whose executive director, Gene Hamilton, said in a statement, "We are proud to stand up for our client to vindicate his rights under long-settled law against what appears to be intentional and blatant discrimination by his employer because of his immutable characteristics.
"Too many employers in the United States have abandoned their commitment to the law, and we look forward to holding them accountable for any illegal actions."
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.