Tony Dokoupil interviewed his own mother to comment on a study that claims grandparents who care for their grandchildren perform better on memory and language tests.
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The CBS Evening News anchor was criticized by viewers for the intimate approach of the segment.
On Tuesday’s broadcast (27), Tony Dokoupil spoke with his mother, Gail, about the study. She commented on her experience caring for her four grandchildren, Dokoupil’s children.
“I think they give me a sense of purpose. They energize me more than they wear me out,” she said.
“Something magical happens when a parent becomes a grandparent,” the anchor said at the end of the report.
“And to think that the next time I call my mom asking for help with the kids, I can use the phrase she used with me when I was a child: ‘It’s for your own good, Mom.’ I love you,” Tony Dokoupil said.
Internet users took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize CBS’s decision to give the story a very family-oriented tone.
“Oh, a return to those days when they tried to humanize [Walter] Cronkite by having him co-anchor with his dog, Trusty,” joked Status columnist and media critic Brian Lowry.
The interview with Tony Dokoupil’s mother comes after CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss promised the network would place “enormous emphasis on scoops.”
“Not scoops that expire minutes later, but investigative scoops and, crucially, idea scoops. Explanatory scoops,” Weiss explained.
Photos: X @CBSEveningNews. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Grandparents who help care for their grandkids may be keeping their minds sharper. A new study finds they score higher on memory and language tests and decline more slowly than those who do not. @TonyDokoupil, who has four children, called his mom for her reaction. pic.twitter.com/Ww39Og1hhi
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) January 28, 2026
