“Are we going to see a return to soft-ball questions and moderators who just sit there and nod?” asked a satirical op-ed in The New York Times. “Or worse, are we heading towards a future where moderators are nothing more than glorified game show hosts, just there to smile and read from a card?”
Meanwhile, the search is on for new moderators to replace O’Donnell and Brennan. Rumors are swirling that CBS might turn to more neutral figures, or even bring in non-journalists to avoid the potential for fact-checking bias. “Maybe we’ll get someone like Ryan Seacrest,” one Twitter user joked. “He can host everything, right?”
As for the future of the former debate moderators, there’s speculation that O’Donnell and Brennan will find new homes at rival networks. Some suggest they might join a streaming platform or start their own fact-checking podcast. One thing is certain—they won’t be off the airwaves for long.
In the meantime, CBS is left to pick up the pieces and plan for its next debate. Will it lean into fact-checking less aggressively next time, or double down on its commitment to accuracy? One CBS insider mused, “We might have gone overboard, but hey, at least we kept things interesting.”
