{"id":2443773,"date":"2026-06-03T21:13:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2443773"},"modified":"2026-06-03T21:13:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:13:54","slug":"why-was-scott-pelley-fired-from-60-minutes-inside-the-news-veterans-cbs-ouster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/why-was-scott-pelley-fired-from-60-minutes-inside-the-news-veterans-cbs-ouster\/","title":{"rendered":"Why was Scott Pelley fired from \u201c60 Minutes\u201d? Inside the news veteran&#8217;s CBS ouster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Scott Pelley was fired from <em>60 Minutes<\/em> following a tense meeting with new executive editor Nick Bilton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>60 Minutes<\/em> has seen several shake-ups under its recently appointed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelley says &#8220;<em>60 Minutes<\/em> lost its DNA&#8221; after its recent firings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Chaos continues to reign at <em>60 Minutes<\/em> under Bari Weiss, the recently appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A number of shakeups have hit the historic news program since Weiss was brought on in October 2025, following Skydance Media&#8217;s acquisition of Paramount Global and its assets. Executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and executive producer Tanya Simon were both fired. Correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and Anderson Cooper, meanwhile, have all departed or been fired.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelley&#8217;s exit stemmed from a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/scott-pelley-says-cbs-news-boss-bari-weiss-murdering-60-minutes-11988527\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:testy staff meeting;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;testy staff meeting&quot;}\" class=\"link \">testy staff meeting<\/a> on June 1, during which he became irate over the direction of <em>60 Minutes<\/em> under Weiss. He also expressed disappointment about the hiring of filmmaker and former tech journalist Nick Bilton as Simon&#8217;s replacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelley, who had worked on the show since 2004, lashed out at Weiss, declaring that she is \u201cmurdering\u201d <em>60 Minutes<\/em>. On June 2, it was reported that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/scott-pelley-exits-60-minutes-after-criticizing-cbs-news-bosses-11989638\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Pelley had been sacked from his post;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Pelley had been sacked from his post&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Pelley had been sacked from his post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read on for our full breakdown of why Pelley was fired from <em>60 Minutes,<\/em> and how Weiss and Pelley have responded to the situation.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Why was Scott Pelley fired from <em>60 Minutes<\/em>?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Scott Pelley, correspondent for &#8217;60 Minutes,&#8217; with the news producers at the CBS Broadcast Center, in New York City, March 19, 2010<br \/>Credit: John Paul Filo\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On June 1, CBS News staff gathered for a meeting to introduce Bilton to the rest of the team. Bilton had been hired the week before to replace Simon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As reported by the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/01\/business\/media\/cbs-60-minutes-scott-pelley-nick-bilton.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:New York Times;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;New York Times&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.status.news\/p\/scott-pelley-60-minutes-nick-bilton-bari-weiss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Status;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Status&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Status<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>Pelley voiced his disagreement with Bilton after the new executive producer declared that Weiss &#8220;loves this institution&#8221; and &#8220;loves <em>60 Minutes<\/em>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;She is murdering <em>60 Minutes<\/em>,\u201d Pelley said of Weiss. \u201cShe does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she&#8217;s been doing exactly that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelley reportedly said that Weiss, who was absent from the meeting, had &#8220;no qualifications for her job,&#8221; and added that Bilton had &#8220;slender qualifications for this job.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued, &#8220;The changes that she&#8217;s made at the <em>Evening News<\/em> have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The next day, Bilton fired Pelley in a letter obtained by <em>Entertainment Weekly<\/em>. &#8220;Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,&#8221; it reads. &#8220;And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated effective immediately.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the letter, Bilton also accused Pelley of having &#8220;hijacked&#8221; the meeting in order to &#8220;disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">EW has reached out to representatives for Pelley and CBS News for comment.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">How did Bari Weiss respond to the firing?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In audio obtained by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/06\/03\/bari-weiss-says-scott-pelley-violated-trust-mutual-respect-60-minutes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Washington Post;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Washington Post&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Washington Post<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>Weiss said she had attempted to \u201cfind a way back\u201d with Pelley, but ultimately \u201chad to part ways.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I\u2019m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. That foundation was broken on Monday,\u201d she said on a call with staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Weiss did commend Pelley for his time on the show. \u201cThat unfortunate outcome does not discount from the amazing contributions and work that Scott Pelley has done for CBS and for<em> 60 Minutes<\/em> over the course of his career,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tom Cibrowski, executive editor and president of CBS News, reportedly joined Weiss in praising Pelley, describing him as an \u201cintegral part of <em>60 Minutes, CBS Evening News<\/em>, and this entire news organization for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelley later responded to earlier reports that Weiss had attempted to find equal ground with him. As reported by the <em>New York Times\u2019 <\/em>Ben Mullin in a post on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/benmullin\/status\/2062190012754506231?s=51&amp;t=EuPQO7_lnjW51-9BxzDvzQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:X;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;X&quot;}\" class=\"link \">X<\/a>, Pelley refuted the content of Weiss\u2019 audio recording transcript entirely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cBari Weiss knows what she said is not true,\u201d he said bluntly. \u201cIn the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to \u2018find a way back,\u2019 as Weiss said in the editorial meeting. At no point did anyone in the Tuesday meeting suggest that there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution. Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start. \u2018Firing\u2019 was raised by Cibrowski in the first 15 seconds. No CBS executive, at any time, suggested a way back.\u2019 To say so now is disingenuous. And they know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">What has Pelley said about his firing?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Scott Pelley for '60 Minutes'Credit: Michele Crowe\/CBS\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/v.egKvAlbWOhQFY6JVMTEQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/ed89fb527d34310b8ae01cd26bc14d02\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Scott Pelley for &#8217;60 Minutes&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Michele Crowe\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On June 2, Pelley <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/scott-pelley-exits-60-minutes-after-criticizing-cbs-news-bosses-11989638\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:reacted to his firing;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;reacted to his firing&quot;}\" class=\"link \">reacted to his firing<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201c<em>60 <\/em>[<em>Minutes<\/em>] has been the number-one program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality, and humanity in our stories,&#8221; it begins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pelly went on to accuse the network\u2019s new ownership, Paramount Skydance, of trading their values in order \u201cto curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cLast month, <em>60 Minutes<\/em> lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause,\u201d he said, referring to Alfonsi and Vega. \u201cGood people were silenced because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/why-did-scott-pelley-leave-60-minutes-11990348\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes following a tense meeting with new executive editor Nick Bilton. 60 Minutes has seen several shake-ups under its recently appointed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Pelley says &#8220;60 Minutes lost its DNA&#8221; after its recent firings. Chaos continues to reign at 60 Minutes under Bari Weiss, the recently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2443774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[405480,402269,402268,479131,479752,310350,479128,457600,433513,479129],"class_list":["post-2443773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-60-minutes","tag-bari-weiss","tag-cbs-evening-news","tag-cecilia-vega","tag-executive-editor","tag-executive-producer","tag-nick-bilton","tag-scott-pelley","tag-sharyn-alfonsi","tag-tanya-simon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Why-was-Scott-Pelley-fired-from-60-Minutes-Inside-the.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2443775,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443773\/revisions\/2443775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2443774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}