Dan Rather Returns to CBS for First Time in Nearly Two Decades

Disgraced former CBS anchor Dan Rather will appear on the network for the first time in nearly two decades for an upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning. Rather, who left CBS in 2006 after reporting a discredited story about then-President George W. Bush, will discuss his time at the network and his career in journalism.

Disgraced former CBS anchor Dan Rather is returning to the network for the first time in nearly two decades for an upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning.

Rather, who stepped down from his role as CBS Evening News anchor in 2005 and eventually left the network the following year after reporting a discredited story about then-President George W. Bush, will be interviewed for an upcoming episode of CBS Sunday Morning.

The network announced the 92-year-old former anchor's new interview in a recent statement, which said, "Lee Cowan talks with former CBS News anchor Dan Rather about his work at CBS and his life in news."

Rather's exit from CBS came after he reported on fake documents purportedly about Bush's military career. Just ahead of the then-president's re-election, the anchor ran a "60 Minutes" special citing forged memos disparaging Bush's behavior while he served in the National Guard in the 1970s allegedly written by his commanding officer at the time.

Critics charged that these documents were forged as part of a naked attempt to make Bush look bad two months before the 2004 election.

After initially defending the memos, Rather and CBS eventually acknowledged the authenticity of the documents was never verified and shouldn't have been used.

Rather apologized for the scandal ahead of a CBS investigation into the allegations of journalistic malpractice. He stepped down from his role as anchor of "CBS Evening News" months after the scandal. He eventually parted ways with CBS in 2006.

The disgraced anchor's downfall was the subject of the 2015 film "Truth" starring Cate Blachett and Robert Redford, who played Rather.

Despite his controversial exit, Rather has still been a fixture in the media, making regular appearances on left-wing and anti-Trump media outlets. He has been a frequent guest on CNN and MSNBC during the Trump presidency and is a prolific anti-Trump tweeter.

He also was invited to speak about "misinformation" on "PBS NewsHour Weekend" in 2021, warning on-air how "misinformation, outright lies, propaganda, all of this gets loose on the internet."

Rather's upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning will likely draw considerable attention, given his history with the network and the controversy surrounding his departure. It remains to be seen what Rather will say about his time at CBS and his career in journalism, but his return to the network is sure to generate headlines.