Scott Pelley said “CBS News is on fire” and called for Bari Weiss to step down as editor-in-chief in an interview with The New York Times published today, escalating pressure on the CBS News leader after his firing from 60 Minutes last week.
Quick Facts
- Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes on June 2, 2026, a day after criticizing new executive producer Nick Bilton and Weiss in a staff meeting.
- In his first interview since being terminated, Pelley told The New York Times that Weiss is “unqualified” and lacks management experience for a large organization.
- Weiss dismissed executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi in late May, then installed Bilton as the show’s new leader.
- Pelley alleged that Weiss exerted “political influence” on a February story about an ICE crackdown in Minneapolis, sending notes that aligned with Trump’s portrayal of the shootings.
Pelley’s public criticism marks a sharp escalation in the turmoil that has engulfed 60 Minutes, the most-watched news program on American television, since Weiss took over as CBS News editor-in-chief last year.
In the New York Times interview, Pelley said his “hope is that the leadership of Paramount will say to themselves, this isn’t working,” referring to CBS’s parent company. He accused Weiss of “putting a thumb on the scale” for the Trump administration during the most recent season of the newsmagazine.
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The Allegations of Political Interference
Pelley told The Times that Weiss sent notes to former executive producer Tanya Simon “about four hours after our deadline” on a February 1 report titled “Calls grow for independent probe into Minneapolis shootings.” He said the feedback urged changes aligned with Trump’s portrayal of an ICE crackdown in which two protesters were fatally shot by federal officers.
“It felt like a level of political influence that I had never seen in 37 years at CBS News,” Pelley said. A CBS News spokesperson rejected the allegation, saying the feedback “had no political motivation and were proposed solely to make the piece as strong, fair, and accurate as possible.”
Pelley also challenged Weiss’s management qualifications, saying “She doesn’t know television, she doesn’t understand how it works. She doesn’t have management experience for a large organization like CBS News.” He acknowledged that Weiss’s Free Press organization has been successful but added that “television’s not her thing.”
The Broader Shakeup at 60 Minutes
Weiss’s overhaul of 60 Minutes began in late May when she removed Simon and two on-air correspondents, Vega and Alfonsi, then hired outsider Nick Bilton, a former tech reporter, to run the show. The moves sparked immediate backlash from newsroom veterans who viewed them as an attack on the program’s editorial independence.
During a heated staff meeting on June 1, Pelley called Weiss “unqualified” and challenged Bilton’s competency. Bilton responded by firing Pelley the next day, citing his “performative display of hostility” and saying Pelley showed “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”
Pelley said he confronted Bilton because “somebody had to stand up not just for the broadcast but for the people.” He pointed to the previous season’s 9% ratings growth as evidence that change was unnecessary, calling the figure “unheard-of in broadcast television.”
Sources
- CNN — Scott Pelley’s interview with The New York Times, his statements about Weiss and CBS News, and the details of the 60 Minutes shakeup.
- The New York Times — Pelley’s full interview published June 7, 2026, his allegations of political interference, and his criticism of Weiss’s qualifications.
- NBC News — Confirmation of Pelley’s firing on June 2 and Weiss’s defense of the decision.
