’60 Minutes’ veteran Scott Pelley rips CBS News bosses, saying they are ‘murdering’ the program

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Scott Pelley, a highly-regarded correspondent for CBS’s “60 Minutes,” reportedly gave a chilly reception to Nick Bilton, the show’s newly appointed executive producer, as the staff continues to react to recent layoffs.

During the first staff meeting after Bilton’s appointment last week, Pelley reportedly blamed Bari Weiss, CBS News’ Editor-in-chief, for damaging the network’s most popular news program, which had just seen a 9% increase in viewership for the season. Audio of the meeting was shared with members of the press.

According to Pelley, the current leadership is destroying ’60 Minutes.’ He believes they don’t care about the show’s legacy and were specifically brought in to dismantle it, which he says they are actively doing. He also questioned the qualifications of Bilton, a former tech reporter and filmmaker, pointing out, like Weiss, he lacks experience in managing a TV news program.

On Thursday, Norah Bilton was appointed to take over for Tanya Simon in a surprising decision. This also included the dismissal of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. These changes were made by Wendy Weiss, who has been aiming to revamp the highly-regarded program since joining the network last autumn.

David Ellison, the head of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, hired Neeraj Khemlani – someone known for being critical of traditional media – with the goal of making the news division more politically neutral. However, many observers believe this change is an effort to appease the Trump administration while Ellison waits for approval of his plan to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.

“60 Minutes” has been a frequent target of criticism from Donald Trump. Last year, he filed a lawsuit against the show, claiming they unfairly edited an interview with his potential 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris. The lawsuit was resolved shortly before regulators approved Skydance Media’s acquisition of Paramount, a deal led by Ellison.

According to a source with “60 Minutes,” those present at a recent meeting in CBS’s Manhattan offices said it was unlike anything they’d ever seen. The heated exchange – and the supportive applause correspondent Bill Pelley received – suggests CBS News leaders may have misjudged how loyal the staff is to the program, which is nearing its 60th year and has a long-standing reputation as a leading voice in television journalism.

A representative for CBS News declined comment on the meeting.

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Nick Bilton will replace executive producer Tanya Simon, a 26-year veteran of the program.

Bill Pelley is highly respected at CBS News because of his long history of reporting from dangerous conflict areas. While anchoring “CBS Evening News,” he often honored CBS News journalists who had died while reporting, starting with George Polk, who was killed in Greece in 1948 during the country’s civil war.

Sources within CBS News say that both Bilton and Weiss contacted Pelley last week to talk about the upcoming changes and the show’s direction, but he hasn’t replied.

One CBS News veteran said the tense meeting “reads like Scott wants to be fired.”

Weiss has consistently stated her goal is to grow the “60 Minutes” brand beyond its traditional Sunday night show, increasing both viewership and income. However, she’s also had disagreements with the show’s staff about how certain stories were presented, including a report by Alfonsi concerning the Trump administration’s use of tough prisons in El Salvador to detain Venezuelan migrants.

After Alfonsi told her colleagues the segment was delayed due to political interference, she was removed from the program.

Last week, correspondent Leslie Stahl Vega said she felt pressured to include political opinions in her reporting for “60 Minutes.” In a social media post on Thursday, she expressed concern about the future of the show, saying she was “very much fear[ful] what comes next.”

A CBS News representative said last week that Vega’s claims “are not based in reality.”

Bilton has been telling veterans involved in the program that he’s still dedicated to its goal of producing strong, in-depth reporting. He’s repeatedly said that the upcoming season will be very similar to the recently completed, successful one.

According to a source familiar with Bilton’s plans, he’s dedicated to maintaining and building upon the tradition of high-quality journalism that ’60 Minutes’ is famous for.

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2026-06-01 23:01