Scott Pelley Fired From 60 Minutes — CBS News in Crisis Under Bari Weiss
One of television journalism's most storied programmes is in the middle of the biggest crisis in its 58-year history. Scott Pelley — veteran correspondent, former CBS Evening News anchor, and for many viewers the embodiment of what 60 Minutes has always stood for — has been fired from the show. And the circumstances of his dismissal have ignited a firestorm about editorial independence, political interference, and the future of broadcast journalism in the Trump era.
The good news — if there is any for 60 Minutes loyalists — is that Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim have confirmed they will return for Season 59 in the fall.
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How Scott Pelley Was Fired
The sequence of events was swift and brutal. Last week, 60 Minutes' new executive producer Nick Bilton — installed by CBS News' new editorial chief Bari Weiss — fired correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, a producer, and two show executives, including Tanya Simon, who had stepped up as EP when her predecessor resigned in protest. Anderson Cooper had already left voluntarily the previous month, concerned about the direction of the network's coverage.
Then came Monday. At a staff meeting, Pelley publicly confronted Bilton — accusing him and Weiss of "murdering 60 Minutes" and weakening the show's journalism "apparently to curry favor with the Trump administration." He also alleged incompetence and unprofessionalism in new management.
Tuesday night, Bilton sent Pelley a letter: "Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear." CBS News had terminated his contract for insubordination.
Pelley issued a statement: the show had been weakened "apparently to curry favor with the Trump administration" and he felt "incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc."
Who Is Bari Weiss — and What Does She Want?
At the center of this upheaval is Bari Weiss — the journalist and founder of The Free Press who was installed as CBS News Editor in Chief earlier in 2026, following Paramount Skydance's acquisition and restructuring of CBS News.
Weiss is controversial. A former New York Times opinion editor who resigned in 2020 citing a hostile environment and editorial interference, she built The Free Press as a subscription publication that occupies an anti-establishment, anti-"mainstream media" position. Her appointment to lead CBS News surprised many in the industry and alarmed much of the existing CBS News staff.
To her supporters, Weiss represents a necessary correction — bringing journalistic independence and ideological diversity to a network they felt had drifted too far left. To her critics — including many former 60 Minutes staffers — she represents political interference by new ownership whose business interests have become intertwined with the Trump administration.
CBS News denied any political interference: "There is no political interference at CBS News, not from ownership, not from Bari Weiss."
The Survivors: Stahl, Whitaker, Wertheim to Stay
Amid the chaos, three of the four remaining 60 Minutes correspondents have confirmed they will return for Season 59:
- Lesley Stahl — CBS News veteran since 1971, staying
- Bill Whitaker — CBS News since 1984, staying
- Jon Wertheim — staying
Bilton praised all three in an internal memo: "Lesley, Bill and Jon are core to this show's success… Audiences trust them because they have proved it, story by story, for decades."
He also wrote what many interpreted as an olive branch: "It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: We will never be instructed by the ownership of the company on those stories."
Whether that assurance holds — and whether Season 59 can rebuild the credibility that has made 60 Minutes the most trusted name in broadcast news for nearly six decades — remains to be seen.
Key Takeaways
- Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes on Tuesday June 3 after publicly accusing new management of weakening the show to "curry favor with the Trump administration."
- New executive producer Nick Bilton, installed by CBS News chief Bari Weiss, cited Pelley's insubordination.
- Pelley is the fourth 60 Minutes correspondent to leave since February 2026 — following Anderson Cooper, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi.
- Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim confirmed they will return for 60 Minutes Season 59 in the fall.
- CBS News denied any political interference from ownership or Bari Weiss.
- The show's future credibility and advertiser relationships are now under intense scrutiny.
