Top 'Face the Nation' Producers Mary Hager and Anne Hsu Exit CBS News

Top leadership exits at 'Face the Nation'

November 12, 2026, 7:24 a.m. Central time.

CBS News is facing major upheaval at its flagship Sunday public affairs broadcast as the two top editorial leaders of Face the Nation prepare to exit their roles, network sources confirmed Thursday.

Mary Hager, the program's longtime senior executive producer and the network’s executive editor for politics, has decided to retire in January after a storied 35-year tenure at CBS News, according to reporting from Poynter.

Simultaneously, executive producer Anne Hsu will depart the Sunday broadcast to accept a new assignment heading to CBS News’ Hong Kong bureau, according to TheWrap. The dual departures leave immediate vacancies atop one of television's most influential political broadcasts.

Thirty-five years at the broadcast

Hager first joined CBS News in 1991, rising from an entry-level researcher to become one of the most respected political producers in American broadcast journalism. She took over leadership of Face the Nation in 2011, steering the broadcast through four presidential cycles and cementing its position at the top of the Sunday morning ratings.

In a memo to colleagues, network leadership commended Hager’s unwavering journalistic standards, deep institutional memory, and calm guidance through historic political upheavals.

Hsu, who partnered closely with Hager to modernize digital presentation and booking strategies, will lead regional Asia-Pacific reporting from Hong Kong as CBS reorganizes its international footprint.

Newsroom tension and editorial shifts

The simultaneous exits come during a period of widespread transformation across CBS News under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who was brought in earlier this year to oversee newsroom strategy and editorial direction, as noted by The Daily Beast.

The departures follow months of behind-the-scenes friction. Industry reports surfaced earlier in the year suggesting Weiss had explored alternatives to Sunday moderator Margaret Brennan, though Brennan has remained in the anchor chair with robust viewership figures.

With both Hager and Hsu leaving their posts, media analysts note that Weiss now possesses an open runway to appoint her own editorial leadership team to shape the direction and tone of CBS's premier political broadcast.

Key developments at CBS News

Early 2026: Bari Weiss takes over as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, launching newsroom restructuring.

Mid-2026: Reports surface that network leadership considered potential anchor revisions at Sunday franchises.

November 2026: Senior Executive Producer Mary Hager announces her January retirement; Executive Producer Anne Hsu transfers to Hong Kong.

CBS News Washington bureau

The star marks the CBS News Washington Bureau near 2020 M Street NW, home to Face the Nation.

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Sources and visual credits

Poynter: Mary Hager retirement and Anne Hsu departure · TheWrap: CBS News Sunday show leadership shakeup · The Daily Beast: network transitions under Bari Weiss

Header and thumbnail visual: Newstro editorial newsroom section graphic.