When Dan Rather walked back into the CBS News headquarters in April 2024, the air in the room didn't just shift—it vibrated. It had been 18 years. Eighteen years since a legendary, yet deeply messy, exit over a story about George W. Bush’s National Guard service that basically blew up his career. Watching the interview with Dan Rather on CBS Sunday Morning felt less like a standard media appearance and more like a time traveler returning to a planet he’d once ruled.
He’s 94 now. Or close enough to it that the math doesn't really matter as much as the sharp, Texas-hewn wit that’s still very much intact. Honestly, most people his age are long retired, but Rather is out here reinventing himself as a Substack star and a social media "grandfather of the resistance."
The CBS Return: Addressing the Elephant in the Room
You’ve got to hand it to him; he didn't dodge the hard stuff. During that 2024 sit-down with Lee Cowan, Rather was blunt. He admitted he missed CBS. He’s missed it every single day since 2006.
It’s kinda heartbreaking if you think about it.
The guy gave 44 years to that network. He was there for the JFK assassination, standing on the tracks in Dallas. He was the one Nixon called a "son-of-a-bitch" on the Oval Office tapes. Then, it all ended because of the "Killian documents" scandal. In the interview, he didn't offer a groveling apology, but he didn't shy away from the pain either. He called it the "lowest point" of his career.
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"I wanted to stay in the game," he told Cowan. And he did.
Why he’s still "in the game"
While his old colleagues were probably playing golf, Dan was busy. He did The Big Interview on AXS TV, where he grilled everyone from Simon Cowell to R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. He’s recently been talking about a song R.E.M. wrote called "What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?"—a nod to a bizarre 1986 assault on Rather that became a piece of pop culture lore.
He basically turned a weird trauma into a rock-and-roll anecdote.
The "Rather" Documentary and the Truth About 2004
If you really want to understand why a modern interview with Dan Rather generates so much heat, you have to look at the Netflix documentary simply titled Rather. It dropped right around his CBS return. It tackles the 2004 "60 Minutes II" segment head-on.
For those who weren't born or weren't paying attention: Rather reported that George W. Bush received preferential treatment in the National Guard. The problem? The documents used to prove it couldn't be verified. They looked like they were typed on a modern computer, not a 1970s typewriter.
Critics called it a hit job. Rather called it a setup.
The documentary suggests he was a victim of a "trap," but it also acknowledges that as the anchor, the buck stopped with him. It’s a nuanced take. He’s not a saint, but he’s not the villain his detractors made him out to be either. He’s a guy who was obsessed with the "truth" and sometimes let his gut outpace his gatekeepers.
What He Thinks of Journalism in 2026
It’s 2026, and the media landscape looks like a fever dream. We’ve got AI-generated "slop," deepfakes, and news anchors who are more interested in TikTok views than actual shoe-leather reporting.
Rather has thoughts. Lots of them.
In a recent podcast appearance on Blinking Red, he talked about the "video-fication" of everything. He’s worried. He’s worried that we’re losing the "why" in favor of the "right now."
- Trust is at an all-time low: He mentions this often.
- The "Texas" philosophy: He still quotes his father, saying he was taught to be fearful of "nothing but God and hurricanes."
- The role of the reporter: He believes real news is what someone in power doesn't want you to know. Everything else is just PR.
He’s become a bit of a philosopher in his old age. He talks about his two grandsons—one 16, one 20—and how he wants to leave them a world where facts actually mean something. It sounds a bit old-school, maybe even naive, but coming from a guy who’s seen the inside of more war zones than most generals, it carries weight.
The Cultural Impact of the Rather Interview
Why do we keep coming back to him?
Maybe because he represents an era where the news felt like an institution, not an algorithm. When you watch an interview with Dan Rather, you aren't just getting headlines. You're getting a masterclass in narrative. He uses these "Rather-isms"—folksy metaphors like "this race is as hot and tight as a too-small bathing suit on a beach in July."
People love it. Or they hate it. There isn't much middle ground.
His "Renaissance" as an Influencer
It’s wild to see a man in his 90s command millions of followers on social media. He’s essentially bypassed the gatekeepers who kicked him out.
He doesn't need a network anymore. He has a keyboard and a memory bank that goes back to the Truman administration.
Actionable Takeaways from Dan’s Playbook
If you’re a creator, a journalist, or just someone trying to navigate the mess of 2026, there’s actually a lot to learn from the way Rather has handled his "third act."
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- Own your narrative. Rather didn't wait for CBS to invite him back to start talking. He went to HDNet, then YouTube, then Substack. He kept his voice alive when the industry tried to mute him.
- Stay curious. In his CBS interview, he said as soon as his feet hit the ground in the morning, he asks, "Where’s the story?" That's a 94-year-old speaking.
- Adapt or die. He admitted he wasn't "into" social media at first. He did it anyway. He learned the "new terms" of the game because he didn't want to be "out of the game."
- Focus on legacy over vanity. He’s moved past the bitterness of the 2004 scandal. In the end, he says he wants to be remembered for his family and friends, not just the nightly news ratings.
Rather’s story is a reminder that a career isn't a straight line. It’s a series of peaks, valleys, and occasional high-speed crashes. But as long as you're still asking questions, the "interview" isn't over.
The next step for anyone following his career is to look at his current writings on "Steady," his digital home. It’s where you’ll find the unvarnished, 2026 version of Dan Rather—no teleprompter, no corporate filters, just the news.