CBS fires Scott Pelley amid leadership clash

CBS News fired veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday, deepening the turmoil surrounding one of America’s most influential television news programs.

The move came just one day after Pelley sharply criticized CBS News leadership during a staff meeting, accusing executives of dismantling the show’s legacy.

Pelley, who spent 37 years at CBS News, was outraged by recent changes that included the firing of several senior journalists and the appointment of Nick Bilton, a former New York Times technology columnist and filmmaker, to lead 60 Minutes.

During the meeting, Pelley reportedly accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program and said that she had been brought in to destroy it. In a subsequent statement, Pelley said the hiring of Bilton was an attempt to gain favor with the Trump administration.

CBS executives defended their decision. They said they had attempted to reconcile with Pelley. Weiss told employees that the network tried to find a “way back” with the veteran correspondent but was unsuccessful.

Pelley strongly disputed that account, saying no effort was made to reach a resolution during a meeting that effectively ended his employment.

The firing follows a sweeping overhaul at CBS News. Last week, the network dismissed correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, along with executive producer Tanya Simon and other senior staff members. As a result, 60 Minutes has now lost a majority of its full-time correspondents, forcing the program into a major rebuilding phase.

In a termination letter, Bilton accused Pelley of disrupting his first staff meeting and creating a hostile environment. He said Pelley showed no interest in working collaboratively or supporting the show’s future direction. Pelley’s supporters, however, argue that he was defending colleagues and protecting the journalistic standards that made 60 Minutes a trusted news brand.

Pelley’s ouster comes amid a pending $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery that the FCC must clear. 

However, according to CBS leaders, the changes are designed to modernize the news division, expand its digital reach, and attract new audiences. The clash between management and one of the network’s most respected journalists has now become a defining test for the future of 60 Minutes.

Notably, the FCC signed off on the Paramount–Skydance merger only after CBS settled Trump’s lawsuit against 60 Minutes, a move some observers interpreted as an attempt to secure regulatory approval. Not long afterward, CEO David Ellison brought Weiss on board.

First aired in 1968, the show remains the longest-running prime-time television news program and is widely known for its investigative reporting and hard-hitting interviews.