Who is Kate Merrill? All about former anchor as she sues CBS and Paramount network for $4 million alleging racial and gender discrimination

Kate Merrill is a familiar face to Boston morning news viewers until spring 2024, when she vanished from the airwaves. Now she’s back in the headlines, not with a scoop, but with a lawsuit. The former WBZ co‑anchor is naming CBS and Paramount in a federal suit seeking $4 million, alleging both racial and gender discrimination led to her downfall, as per Universal Hub.

In court filings, Merrill paints a picture of a newsroom eager to show its diversity bona fides at her expense. This isn’t just drama, it’s a high‑stakes fight over who gets to stay, who gets pushed out, and who gets heard when the DEI spotlight hits the studio.

Who is Kate Merrill, and why is she suing CBS and Paramount network for $4 Million

Kate Merrill joined WBZ in 2004 as a reporter and rose through the ranks to become a mainstay co‑anchor on the weekday morning and noon shows by 2017. In May 2024, she was abruptly demoted to weekend nights after allegations surfaced that she displayed unconscious bias and microaggressions toward two more recently hired Black colleagues, meteorologist Jason Mikell (hired in late 2023) and anchor Courtney Cole (hired in 2022).

According to her 57‑page complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Merrill was allegedly initially friendly with Mikell, helping him adjust to Boston and even texting him local pronunciations. But when she corrected his mispronunciation of “Concord” during a break in April 2024, Mikell allegedly confronted her on the studio floor, yelling that she was being critical, and the newsroom’s only response was to let him off with no discipline. Meanwhile, he had previously made a sexually suggestive on‑air remark implying she and her co‑anchor had relations at a gazebo, a comment she alleges went unaddressed by WBZ leadership.

Merrill alleges she then filed a complaint with HR, only for Paramount’s VP of Employee Relations to launch an investigation into her conduct after both Mikell and Cole lodged separate complaints claiming she treated coworkers differently because of their race. Specific allegations include telling Mikell he would “find his people” in Boston, criticizing him “always,” not asking about his weekends, and off‑hand banter that he could work as a garbage collector during a “Dirty Job” segment -comments she vehemently disputes and says were taken out of context or mischaracterized.

WBZ and network leaders reportedly declined to interview key witnesses Merrill identified, including colleagues of color who worked with her for years while relying solely on the complaints against her. That investigation culminated in a written warning claiming her behavior stemmed from unconscious bias and required bias training. Then came the demotion, publicly announced by her supervisor. Merrill alleges that similar disciplinary measures were never taken against male anchors for comparable conduct, and the demotion was tantamount to “career‑ending” sabotage.

She resigned by constructive discharge on May 24, 2024, and as she was bound by a non‑compete clause, hers was a forced hiatus until her contract expired on June 1, 2025. In addition to reinvigorating statutory claims under Title VII and Massachusetts law, her complaint also asserts that this failure to pay 20 days of accrued vacation is a separate violation, carrying statutorily mandated penalties. Reddit commentators have flagged that detail as particularly significant under Massachusetts law, where unpaid accrued time can lead to mandatory treble damages and legal fees.

Merrill’s suit names WBZ, CBS, Paramount, her former GM Justin Draper, and VP Michael Roderick, and seeks $4 million in damages: lost income, emotional distress, reputational harm, unpaid wages, punitive damages, legal fees and more. She has requested a jury trial, alleging the station and network sacrificed her career to bolster DEI optics at the expense of fairness. As of publication, neither CBS nor Paramount has issued a public comment; WBZ declined immediate comment.