CBS Morning Show Faces Tension Following Controversial Gazebo Joke

A long-serving CBS Boston anchor who vanished mysteriously from broadcasts last year has launched a lawsuit against her former station, the network, its parent company, and two Black former colleagues, alleging a ‘DEI’ strategy aimed at removing white employees.

Popular morning anchor Kate Merrill initiated the lawsuit in the US District Court on Tuesday. She departed from the station in May 2024, following accusations of racism, shortly after voicing concerns to her bosses regarding a supposed on-air remark from a colleague implying she had romantic relations with a co-anchor in a gazebo.

Defendants listed in the case include CBS, Paramount, Merrill’s then-general manager Justin Draper, and Michael Roderick, the then-VP of employee relations at Paramount. 

The latter began an internal investigation into Merrill last spring, shortly before her resignation, after allegations from two newly hired Black colleagues, meteorologist Jason Mikell and anchor Courtney Cole, about ‘microaggressions’ and unconscious bias.

The probe concluded with Merrill receiving a ‘written warning’ for behavior purportedly based in microaggressions or unconscious bias that cultivated a hostile work environment.

Merrill was mandated to undergo ‘unconscious bias training’ and warned about the risk of termination if further issues arose. Subsequently, Draper informed her of a schedule change to weekend nights from her previous weekday morning role.

Merrill responded by leaving the station she had worked at for 20 years, citing ‘the catastrophic damage a demotion would have caused her career, especially in the context of allegations that she was racist.’

The suit claims Merrill faced discrimination because of her race and gender, and that the company scrutiny into her only started following a second, formal complaint about Mikell and his alleged on-air remarks on February 22, 2024.

Longtime WBZ reporter and morning host Kate Merrill (second from right) filed a discrimination suit in federal court Tuesday against CBS, Paramount, and two black former colleagues, including meteorologist Jason Mikell (far left)

Longtime WBZ reporter and morning host Merrill filed the suit in US District Court Tuesday. She left the station in May 2024 ‘because of the catastrophic damage a demotion would have caused her career, especially in the context of allegations that she was racist’

‘Specifically, he implied that Ms. Merrill and her co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo,’ the suit states. The exact jab was not detailed. 

The complaint, however, stemmed from a second incident in April 2024, where Mikell allegedly confronted Merrill on the newsroom floor for all to see.

The suit also claims that the head of East Coast stations for CBS, Adrienne Roark, created the climate that saw the plaintiff forced out. In 2020, Roark had ruled that several CBS affiliates – WBZ in particular – had become ‘too white’, the suit recalled.

Roark, in turn, allegedly informed managers at WBZ that she would allow only minority hires. Roark was subsequently promoted to CBS’s president of editorial and news gathering, just three months after Merrill’s departure. She lasted just seven months before ‘resigning’ herself. 

Beforehand, Roark had branded the Boston station ‘the least diverse station for on-air talent’ and the ‘whitest of all their stations.’

Mikell and Cole were subsequently hired, the suit claims – an arrangement Merrill at first was fine with.

Merrill recalled Mikell him with local pronunciations after his hiring in September 2023, but noted how a white meteorologist, Zack Greene, was let go a month before Mikell being brought on.

After the on-air incident in February,  Merrill says she was met with an unusual fit of frustration from Mikell following one of her usual corrections.

The meteorologist mispronounced ‘Concord’ the morning of April 3, 2024, the suit claims. Merrill allegedly sent the meteorologist a text during a break to correct him.

After the on-air incident in February, Merrill says she was met with an unusual fit of frustration from Mikell following one of her usual corrections. The meteorologist mispronounced ‘Concord’ the morning of April 3, 2024, the suit claims. Merrill allegedly sent the meteorologist a text during a break to correct him

Anchor Courntey Cole – seen with Merrill at left – alleged that the veteran anchor told her she should try to make a career in Nashville ‘because it would be a better racial fit for [her]’. Her and Mikell’s complaints saw Merrill slapped with a written warning and effectively demoted

The suit also claims that then head of East Coast stations for CBS, Adrienne Roark, had determined in 2020 that several CBS affiliates – WBZ specifically – had become ‘too white.’ Roark, at the time, allegedly informed WBZ managers that she would allow only minority hires

Mikell responded by storming up to her in the newsroom and yelling at her in plain view of other staffers, it is alleged. 

Merrill, at that point, filed the official complaint with WBZ HR.

A week later, Roderick was telling about Paramount’s investigation into her racial bias and microaggression, the suit recalls.

Roderick also revealed it was not only Mikell who was complaining, but Cole as well.

Both alleged Merrill regularly ‘treated coworkers differently because of their race’.

Cole – who joined WBZ in 2022 – specifically alleged that Merrill told her she should try to make a career in Nashville ‘because it would be a better racial fit for [her] rather than a comment about career opportunities and how much [Merrill] enjoyed Nashville.’

Mikell insisted Merrill was unfairly critical of him in several instances as well. 

Merrill is demanding $4 million in damages.

Daily Mail has contacted CBS and Paramount for comment.