Unpacking the Drama at 60 Minutes and CBS News Under Bari Weiss

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Is time running out for 60 Minutes?

According to a New York Times report based on a recording of a staff meeting, veteran CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley expressed concern that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is damaging the show 60 Minutes. Pelley, 68, reportedly stated Weiss was “murdering” the program during the June 1st meeting at the New York headquarters. His comment came during a discussion with the new executive producer, Nick Bilton, who supported Weiss’s approach.

“Bari loves this institution,” Bilton said, per the Times. “She loves 60 Minutes.”

Pelley argued that she doesn’t care about the place and was hired to destroy it, which he believes she’s actively doing.

David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, hired Weiss in October with the goal of revitalizing the network’s news division. Weiss was not present at the meeting being discussed.

TopMob News has reached out to CBS News for comment.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Weiss and Bilton have been trying to arrange a private meeting with 68-year-old Pelley ever since Bilton was hired on May 28th.

From what I understand, if things had gone as planned, they were going to tell him how important he is to 60 Minutes and how much they see him being a part of the show going forward. It would have been amazing to hear them say that to him directly – he truly deserves it!

As a longtime viewer, I was really shocked to hear Pelley describe Weiss as essentially destroying 60 Minutes. It completely contradicts what CBS has been telling us – that bringing in Bilton was all about ensuring the show continues to deliver the tough interviews and in-depth investigations we’ve come to expect from their flagship news program. They’ve painted this as a positive move to strengthen the show, not dismantle it.

In a memo to her team announcing Bilton’s appointment last week, which TopMob obtained, Weiss explained that their job is to maintain the show’s history and important purpose by creating a version that succeeds today. She stated this would require trying something different.

Pelley has consistently voiced strong concerns about how media companies are run. He started raising these issues even before Skydance Media, led by David Ellison, completed its $8.4 billion acquisition of Paramount Global last summer.

During a tribute to Bill Owens, the long-time executive producer of 60 Minutes who was retiring after 37 years with CBS, Scott Pelley explained that Paramount had started to more closely oversee the show’s content. While no stories had been stopped, Owens felt this new level of oversight compromised the independence needed for truthful reporting, and those at 60 Minutes were unhappy about it.

Ellison appointing Weiss as CBS News’ first ever editor in chief only inflamed tensions further.

Before launching The Free Press, a conservative news website that Paramount Skydance acquired for $150 million last year, the 42-year-old worked at the Wall Street Journal. She then spent three years writing columns and editing opinions for The New York Times.

In 2020, she quit her job at the newspaper, explaining in a public letter that she had been consistently bullied by coworkers because of her opinions.

When Kimberly Weiss joined CBS News last fall, she told her team, according to Deadline, that she would listen to their feedback about what was and wasn’t working, and would do so quickly and with a willingness to make changes.

However, reports began to emerge detailing a CBS News environment where morale was steadily declining and employees were becoming increasingly unhappy.

In January, Gayle King, the anchor of CBS Mornings, publicly criticized those leaking information within the organization. According to a recording of a staff meeting reviewed by The Independent, she rebuked “leakers in the building” after reports of internal conflict surfaced.

I was really struck by what King said at the end of the questions. He basically acknowledged that some people might not want to be involved, and that’s fine. But for those of us who do want to contribute, who want to work hard and make things better, he admitted this is a really tough period. It felt validating to hear him say that, honestly – like he understands how challenging things are for us who are committed to figuring things out.

Joining the ranks of those moving on, Anderson Cooper has announced his departure after almost 20 years with 60 Minutes.

Anderson Cooper, 58, is reducing his work commitments to spend more time with his sons, Wyatt, 6, and Sebastian, 4. He’s stated this as the main reason, but many people believe his decision is also related to the issues happening at CBS News, where he also works.

In his final message on May 18th, Cooper expressed his hope that 60 Minutes would still be on television for future generations, allowing his children and grandchildren to enjoy it together.

Paramount Skydance is buying Warner Bros. Discovery, the company that owns CNN. Warner Bros. Discovery’s owners gave their approval for the sale in April.

Almost all of the changes Weiss has made to CBS staff, from choosing Tony Dokoupil as the anchor for the CBS Evening News in December to recently hiring Bilton as the executive producer of 60 Minutes, have received a varied response – some people approve, while others don’t.

Tech journalist and documentary producer Bilton is taking over after Tanya Simon was let go last week, along with several other leaders: executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, managing editor Guy Campanile, and senior producer Matthew Polevoy.

Correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were also let go.

All of which factored into Pelley’s June 1 evisceration of Weiss.

I was shocked to hear him tell Bilton, according to the New York Times, that she simply wasn’t qualified for the job. He put it bluntly, saying I had limited experience for this role. Considering the disastrous changes she’s made at the Evening News, he questioned why anyone would think things would improve now. It really felt like he had serious doubts about her ability to succeed.

Bilton stated on the recording, “I’m going to demonstrate that. I’m planning to meet with everyone over the next two weeks, and I’m very much looking forward to it – including you.”

And Bilton stressed, per the Times, that “the journalism is the journalism.”

He clarified that the rumors about changing the show to sixty one-minute episodes, similar to TikTok, are false. He confirmed the show will remain in its current format for the time being.

The comment clearly raised questions among the journalists present.

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2026-06-03 00:49