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Legendary former CBS News anchor Dan Rather celebrated his 94th birthday on Friday. The iconic newsman, who served as CBS Evening News anchor from 1981 to 2005, smiled for the camera, flanked by two friends who celebrated his big day alongside him. The journalist looked happy and healthy, surrounded by balloons and a birthday cake. Journalist Tony Plohetski held a birthday dessert for Rather, adorned with a “94” candle, and expressed joy in the caption. “Happy birthday to an American treasure. We loved celebrating 94 years of a truly incredible life! 🎂🎉,” he shared. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Rather Spoke Candidly About Changes at CBS News Last month, Rather, who stepped down from CBS Evening News in 2005 after 24 years as anchor, took to Substack to share his feelings about Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, becoming the editor-in-chief of CBS News. CBS acquired The Free Press for $150 million, the Wall Street Journal previously reported. “The former opinion writer for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times is not a reporter. She has never worked in television news, and she has never led a staff larger than a few dozen,” Rather wrote on his Substack, which has more than 530,000 subscribers, according to the New York Times. “That all changed this week when David Ellison, whose Skydance Media recently acquired CBS, installed Weiss in a position created for her. She will not report to the president of CBS News — as one might expect — but to David Ellison directly.” Rather continued, calling it “a dark day in the halls of CBS News.” “The American people will pay the price for this move, as will the journalists of CBS News who can no longer credibly serve as watchdogs because the ones they are meant to hold to account are signing their paychecks and hobnobbing with the president,” Rather stated. He Supports the Other Anchors Rather opened up to the New York Times about how he still watches the nightly news on each major network, and stated that he supports each of the anchors.
