Drama is still unfolding at CBS News in the aftermath of Scotty Pelley’s firing from 60 Minutes, which marks another big change for the show. Although Pelley has officially parted ways with his employers, the veteran journalist has still been sharing brutally honest thoughts on the state of the company. At the same time, execs at CBS have apparently been seeking to counter Pelley’s claims about discord within the organization. Now, Brendan Carr – the FCC’s chairman – has entered the debate by seemingly taking a shot at Pelley.
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Following his firing, Scott Pelley took part in an interview with The New York Times, during which he chastised the leadership at CBS News and 60 Minutes. Those critiques were specifically aimed at newly installed EP Nick Bilton and the news brand’s editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss. In Pelley’s estimation, the news magazine show is in need of “adult supervision, and at the moment we don’t have it.” When that interview was shared on X, Brendan Carr – without naming Pelley specifically – shared the following comment:
One of the reasons why trust in media is so low is because many legacy journalists are completely out of touch. You could not get away with that behavior at any run of the mill job. It is revealing to see how blind some are to that.
Pelley began working at CBS News back in 1989 and, after serving in various capacities for the brand, he joined 60 Minutes as a correspondent in 2004. This past June 2, Pelley was fired from CBS and 60 due to comments he’d made about Weiss and Bilton. Said development came days after Pelley had a heated discussion with Bilton, during which he said Weiss was “murdering” 60 Minutes. On the whole, Pelley has been arguing that editorial interference has taken a hold of the company and that it’s becoming politically partisan.
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Meanwhile, Carr has been making headlines over the last several months for several reasons, several of them related to ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! In September 2025, after Kimmel made comments pertaining to the death of political pundit Charlie Kirk, Carr seemed to suggest that ABC and Disney’s TV licenses could be revoked if Kimmel’s show wasn’t suspended. While Carr has since denied that he threatened the network, the talk show was suspended, with Carr praising the decision. (That suspension was lifted five days later.) More recently, Carr stipulated that ABC go through early renewals amid an FCC probe into the company allegedly violating the government’s new stipulations for DEI practices.
When it comes to the Scott Pelley and CBS News situation, Carr is just one of several high-profile people to have spoken out about it. A host of journalists have been sharing their takes as well, with many coming to Pelley’s defense.
Who Else Has Spoken Out About Scott Pelley, And What’s Going On At CBS Now?
Shortly before Pelley’s firing came down, former 60 Minutes EP Bill Owens defended his comments about the show being murdered and agreed with Pelley’s assertions about editorial interference. Owens himself left 60 in April 2025 after working at CBS for over two decades and, around that time Pelley explained that Owens “lost the independence that honest journalism requires” due to changes at Paramount, which has since merged with Skydance.
Pelley’s ousting came after fellow correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi being fired from 60 Minutes. Also let go from the show were EP Tanya Simon (Bilton’s predecessor) and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. Former series correspondent Bill Kroft spoke out about those firings, and he too made claims about “journalistic interference” at the show and larger company. Alfonsi and Vega made allegations similar to Kroft’s following Pelley’s dismissal.
It’s been alleged that “morale is terrible” at CBS News in the aftermath of Scott Pelley’s firing. At the same time, though, it’s been reported that Nick Bilton and co. are aware of the negative buzz surrounding the show right now and are seeking to proceed in the right direction. Bilton made a significant move this week by retaining veteran hosts Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker.
On that note, 60 Minutes Season 59 is set to premiere on CBS this fall. For now, the public can only wait and see what else Scott Pelley, Brendan Carr or any other public figures might say about the decisions Bari Weiss and her colleagues are making.
