New CBS Evening News Anchor Tony Dokoupil To Debut Early To Cover Venezuela Military Raid

Tony Dokoupil will make his debut as "CBS Evening News" anchor a little earlier than expected.

Dokoupil will begin his run as anchor of the venerable news broadcast on Saturday night, two days earlier than expected, Variety reports, to cover the breaking news from Venezuela.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid and will bring him back to the United States, where he will face criminal charges. Trump added that the U.S. will "run the country" of Venezuela until a proper transition of power can be arranged. 

Dokoupil was set to debut as "CBS Evening News" anchor on Monday after being named the new anchor in December. He previously served as co-host of "CBS Mornings" and, before that, was a CBS News correspondent and a contributor to "CBS News Sunday Morning." Dokoupil replaces previous "CBS Evening News" co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson, both of whom announced their departures in late 2025 after less than a year behind the anchor's desk.

"We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back," CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said in a statement when Dokoupil's hiring was announced. "That's because he believes in old-school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead, and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night."