'The View' Alum Joins CBS News
Former The View co-host Lisa Ling joined CBS News on May 31. Her move came over six months after CNN canceled her long-running series, This is Life with Lisa Ling, amid the ongoing changes at the cable network. Ling's new reporting will be featured on CBS News broadcasts and platforms beginning this summer, CBS News and Stations president and co-head Neeraj Khemlani announced. Ling was one of the early co-hosts of The View, appearing on the Barbara Walters-created show from 1999 to 2002.
"Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human, and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers. It gives her and us a chance to communicate the pulse of the country and the world in a more experiential way," Khemlani said in a statement. "From war coverage at Channel One News to the anchor table at The View to numerous cable series that showcase her immersive journalism, Lisa Ling is a multi-talented reporter and storyteller that we are thrilled to add to our roster of world-class network talent."
"I can't think of a better home for my style of reporting than CBS News given its tradition of exceptional news gathering and thoughtful storytelling," Ling added. "I'm honored to be working with this venerable organization to tell the stories of people behind the headlines whose voices need to be heard."
Ling, 49, rose to national prominence when she was still in her teens as one of the youngest reporters at Channel One News. In 1999, she was chosen to replace Debbie Matenopoulos on ABC News' The View. After leaving the series in 2002, she joined National Geographic and was a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her work with Winfrey included Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN. In 2014, she began hosting CNN's primetime documentary series This is Life with Lisa Ling. Her relationship with CNN's parent company led to a deal to host shows for HBO Max (now just named Max), including the documentary series Take Out, which covers Asian takeout restaurants across the country.
Since Chris Licht took over CNN, the network has moved away from documentaries, and Ling's show was one of the early casualties. The series was canceled on Nov. 17, just 10 days before Season 9 began. It was the longest-running show under the CNN Original Series division, which is undergoing drastic changes under Licht's leadership. Sources told The Los Angeles Times that Licht might keep the division alive, but will no longer acquire shows from outside producers. This is Life was produced by Part2 Pictures.
"I was hoping to get to 10 seasons, but we fell short of that," Ling told the Los Angeles Times in November. "I would like to do many, many more seasons, especially right now, when we are existing in these bubbles and we follow people who espouse what we believe. In some ways, we've cut ourselves off from really getting to know people who might be different or think differently than we do."
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