Entertainment

Katie Couric confirms she is leaving ‘CBS Evening News’

Katie Couric said Tuesday she is leaving the “CBS Evening News” after nearly five years — putting an end to weeks of speculation surrounding her departure.

“I have decided to step down from the ‘CBS Evening News,'” Couric told People magazine.

“I’m really proud of the talented team on the ‘CBS Evening News’ and the award-winning work we’ve been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I’ve done for ’60 Minutes’ and ‘CBS Sunday Morning.’ In making the decision to move on, I know the ‘Evening News’ will be in great hands, but I am excited about the future,” she told the magazine.

Longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley has been tipped as a potential replacement for Couric.

Though the 54-year-old is staying mum on her future plans, she has hinted she would like to develop her own syndicated talk show because of “the creative freedom to pick subjects, to really dig deep, to have a smart, intelligent conversation … it might be nice to have a little more wiggle room to show my personality,” she said during a “Today” show interview earlier in April.

ABC News is also said to be wooing Couric with an offer of specials, conventions and “everything but the ‘Evening News,'” according to The Daily.

“They are offering her the keys to the castle. It won’t leave much for Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters and Christiane Amanpour,” the source said.

The salary offer from ABC was said to be far less than the $15 million Couric currently takes home for her duties at CBS.

Couric gained national attention when she became co-host of NBC’s “Today” show in 1991.

She left the popular morning show in 2006 for CBS, becoming the first woman to serve as anchor for a nightly network news program.

Though her ascent to the anchor’s chair gained considerable press, the CBS news show failed to jump in the ratings during her tenure.

“There’s a lot to be proud of during Katie Couric’s time at the CBS Evening News,” CBS said Tuesday in a statement. “CBS News, like Katie herself, is looking forward to the next chapter.”