(Bloomberg) — CBS News fired 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley after the longtime journalist confronted his new boss at an internal meeting on Monday.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Pelley, 68, had questioned the qualifications of Nick Bilton, the author and documentarian who was appointed to lead the CBS newsmagazine last week. Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program, one of the most-watched on TV for decades.
“I had hoped that in sitting down with you today we could find a path forward together,” Bilton said in letter to Pelley that was reviewed by Bloomberg. “You made clear that you are not interested in such a path. Your antipathy to the show has come through loud and clear.”
The news division, one of the most respected in the industry, has stumbled through one issue after another since Weiss was named to lead the enterprise last year. The former opinion columnist has replaced longtime CBS staffers, pulled a 60 Minutes segment just before airing, and raised concerns by staffers and observers that the new management is too cozy with the Trump administration.
“The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable,” Pelley was quoted as saying by entertainment news publication Deadline following his firing. “The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well.”
Paramount Skydance Corp., the parent of CBS, acquired Weiss’ company last year for $150 million.
In a memo to the staff in general, Bilton said: “I won’t relitigate the last week with you here. What I will commit to is this: My unyielding support for each of you, the journalism that you do and what we will do together going forward.”
(Updates with comment from Scott Pelley in the fifth paragraph.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
