CBS News fired Scott Pelley, a longtime 60 Minutes correspondent, effective June 2, 2026. Pelley joined CBS News in 1989 and became a 60 Minutes correspondent in 2004, working at the network for 37 years before his dismissal at age 68 [1, 2, 3, 4].
The firing came after Pelley publicly accused new CBS News chief Bari Weiss of "murdering 60 Minutes" during a tense staff meeting on June 1, 2026. Pelley said Weiss had been "brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that," criticizing management's direction at the storied news program [5, 6, 1].
Nick Bilton, the newly appointed 60 Minutes executive producer, fired Pelley for "cause," citing Pelley's conduct as uncivil and contemptuous during the meeting. Bilton said, "Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you." [5, 1, 7, 8, 3, 9]
Pelley also accused CBS News management of injecting falsehoods and bias into coverage, saying, "I have been told to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I've been told to include assertions that are unverified." [5, 2, 3, 4]
The shakeup follows a broader overhaul under Weiss and Bilton, which has included departures of several senior staff at 60 Minutes, including executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega [6, 7, 3, 9].
The changes come less than a year after Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, acquired CBS News in August 2025. Ellison’s purchase marked a shift in media ownership that some see as politically motivated [5, 7, 3].
Despite the turmoil, veteran 60 Minutes correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim vowed to stay with the program. In a joint statement on June 5, they said, "We want to stay and fight" to preserve the show's journalistic integrity after recent firings "have wounded and damaged the broadcast." [10]
The fallout at 60 Minutes continues to unfold amid a recent $16 million settlement Paramount paid over a 2024 lawsuit involving Trump and the program [7, 9]. CBS News is now in the midst of redefining its leadership and editorial direction under Weiss and Bilton following these high-profile departures.
