CBS News has fired veteran correspondent Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes following a heated confrontation with the network's new leadership. The termination was announced after Pelley clashed with executives during a staff meeting this week.
The firing came in the wake of broader cuts at 60 Minutes announced the previous Thursday, when CBS News management removed the show's executive producer, executive editor, and two correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, without providing specific reasons for their departures.
During a Monday morning staff meeting with newly appointed executive editor Nick Bilton and CBS News managing editor Charles Forelle, Pelley directly attacked Bari Weiss, the network's editor-in-chief who joined in October. According to the Guardian, Pelley told executives that Weiss was "murdering 60 Minutes" and accused her of being "brought in to kill it."
In a message sent Tuesday evening, Bilton informed Pelley that he had been "terminated for cause effective immediately." Bilton referenced Pelley's conduct during the meeting, writing: "Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."
Weiss stated that Pelley had violated "trust and mutual respect," though she provided no additional details about the specific nature of the conflict.
Pelley has since issued a public statement accusing CBS News executives of silencing employees and instructing him to "inject falsehoods and bias" into his reporting. He also claimed executives pushed unverified claims and gave politicians a say in editorial decisions.
The departures represent significant changes for 60 Minutes, which has long been considered one of television's most prominent investigative journalism programs. The show now has only three full-time correspondents as it approaches its 59th season this fall: Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and L Jon Wertheim, with Norah O'Donnell contributing from across the network. Anderson Cooper announced earlier this year that he would be leaving the show.
Former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft called the situation under Weiss's leadership "disastrous," describing it as "journalistic interference" that makes "no business sense whatsoever," despite the show remaining the highest-rated program in its category.
Rachel Maddow characterized the changes as an "oligarchic takeover" of CBS News, while longtime producer Rome Hartman praised Pelley as "among the all-time greats of CBS News and of 60 Minutes."
The firing has sparked debate within the journalism community about editorial independence and the future direction of 60 Minutes, which has maintained its reputation as a flagship news program for decades despite the recent internal turmoil.