Bari Weiss, who was installed as CBS’ editor-in-chief last year, was set to give a lecture at UCLA in Los Angeles. However, news has come out that her appearance has since been cancelled. This comes out amid protests at the school. So, who replaced her, and has she spoken out about the cancellation? Keep reading for more details.
Bari Weiss Was Set To Deliver The Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture
Weiss was recently made the editor-in-chief of CBS News. This followed Paramount Skydance purchasing Weiss’ media company, The Free Press. Prior to this, Weiss had worked with The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Weiss joining CBS News was announced back in October 2025. Since then, viewers have seen a number of changes happen at CBS News, including personalities leaving and taking on new roles for the network.
Weiss was previously set to deliver the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at UCLA on February 27, 2026, focusing on the future of journalism. This lecture is held in honor of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. In the past, figures involved with the lecture have included Jake Tapper, Christiane Amanpour, and Bob Woodward.
However, news has come out that Weiss’ UCLA speech has since been cancelled. According to a recent share on Instagram from the UCLA Burkle Center, the event will be rescheduled for another date. The post noted, “For ticket holder information, please visit [the center’s] website.”
One Organization Decried Weiss’ UCLA Appearance On Its Call-To-Action Site
According to The Wrap, a separate source confirmed that the event was cancelled after Weiss withdrew from the lecture. A reason has not been provided at this time.
This news comes out amid student protests concerning Weiss’ upcoming appearance at UCLA. The lecture met with unrest from CodePink, a “feminist grassroots organization,” which called for the event to be cancelled back in January.
In their call-to-action page, CodePink wrote, “This is shameful, especially because Weiss has recently aligned herself with the Trump administration by attempting to cover up the fact that ICE agents are sending Venezuelan migrants to a torture center in El Salvador.” As previously reported, this was in reference to a segment recently pulled from a recent episode concerning the El Salvador prison.
On social media, there was criticism over Weiss being used to represent the “future of journalism” amid layoffs and accusations of censorship at CBS News. As one commenter noted, “Nobody wanted to hear Weiss play a funeral march for a couple [of] hours.” Another asked, “Is this a joke?”
As shared by The Wrap, CBS has not released a statement concerning the cancellation at this time. UCLA also didn’t respond to requests for a statement.
What is your reaction to this story? Are you shocked that the event was canceled? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.
