The saga of behind-the-scenes changes at 60 Minutes took a significant turn this week after longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired. Since then, media pundits have weighed in on that decision, and execs at CBS News have also faced backlash. Pelley’s dismissal and prior personnel moves at the company have translated into some less-than-flattering headlines focusing on the Eye Network’s news brand. A source and a 60 staffer have since spoken out about the blowback and provided thoughts on the show’s next steps.
Nick Bilton, who was recently named executive producer of 60 Minutes, is among the high-ranking people who have been embroiled in headlines as of late. A tech journalist and filmmaker, Bilton reportedly reached an impasse with Pelley, who asserted to Bilton that execs were “murdering” the show. In the aftermath of Pelley’s firing, a source from within CBS shared comments with CNN and spoke to how cognizant employees are about how 60 must perform when it returns for its new season this September:
We’re acutely aware that the premiere has to be a banger.
Since Bari Weiss was hired as CBS News’ editor-in-chief in December 2025, her qualifications and some of her editorial decisions have been questioned. In regard to 60 Minutes, Weiss was criticized after pulling a story on the detainees at the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador at the last minute. Some have also questioned Weiss’ decision to fire correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Likewise, the news chief’s hiring of Bilton in place of former 60 EP Tanya Simon has been much discussed as has the firing of fellow EP Draggan Mihailovich.
Per reports, Bilton has been holding meetings with producers and correspondents to emphasize his aim to move 60 Minutes forward in a positive direction amid allegedly low morale. Bilton and co. have also addressed claims that the show and CBS as a whole have been politically compromised. As far as staffing for the news program goes, focus has now shifted to veteran correspondents Bill Whitaker, Lesley Stahl and Jon Wertheim, and whether Bilton and Weiss will retain them. In his memo, Bilton said this about them:
Lesley, Bill and Jon are core to this show’s success… Audiences trust them because they have proved it, story by story, for decades. 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.
All the while, Pelley, Alfonsi and Vega have opined that political factors have impacted 60 Minutes’ news coverage, and former series producer Bill Owens also holds that position. Owens, who stepped down as EP of the show in 2025, recently defended Pelley’s “murdering” comments, and he’s taken issue with the direction of the program, including the staff changes. During a recent event, Owens referred to 60 and CBS News as “institutions” and said they shouldn’t be “places where partisans and ideologues should be employed.”
One other series alum who’s spoken out since Pelley’s firing is Steve Kroft, who praised Pelley and the other staffers who were let go. Kroft – who left 60 in 2019 after 30 years – asserted that “journalistic interference” had been taking hold of the show. Additionally, Kroft surmised that Bilton, Weiss and co. would have “a lot of problems” due to not being able to land on a specific direction for the show moving forward.
Nevertheless, a source also claimed to CNN that it was “full speed ahead” in terms of preparations for 60 Minutes Season 59. Several questions remain right now, though. Based on statements that Nick Bilton has shared, he’s optimistic about what lies ahead even as negative headlines swirl around the show. Viewers will see what’s what when the news show returns to CBS on September 13 as part of the 2026 TV schedule.
