Scott Pelley, the veteran ’60 Minutes’ correspondent fired by CBS News on June 2 after 37 years with the network, spoke out for the first time in an emotional interview released Sunday on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast, describing his departure as devastating and accusing leadership of mismanaging the storied newsmagazine.
Quick Facts
- Pelley was fired following a heated staff meeting where he criticized CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and new executive producer Nick Bilton.
- In his interview, Pelley compared his firing to “the death of a spouse,” saying he choked up several times during the conversation.
- Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the show and alleged she injected political bias into editorial decisions favoring President Trump.
- The 68-year-old journalist said he was blindsided by the decision and didn’t expect to be fired despite speaking out at the meeting.
Pelley told The New York Times that the firing felt sudden and overwhelming. “The best thing that I can imagine in terms of describing it is that it’s like your spouse was murdered,” he said. “There’s some moments of the day I feel fine. There’s some moments of the day that I just, frankly, fall apart, when I least expect it.”
The journalist said he does not feel sorry for himself but cares deeply about his colleagues and the institution. “We need adult supervision and at the moment we don’t have it,” Pelley stated. “We have people who’ve been installed in these jobs who, through no fault of their own, have no experience in television. There’s a subtle political bias that I’ve never seen at ’60 Minutes’ before.”
Pelley’s firing came after he interrupted the introductory staff meeting for Nick Bilton, the newly hired executive producer, to voice his objections to recent leadership changes and firings at the show. According to a recording obtained by The New York Times, Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the program and said Bilton had “slender” qualifications for his role.
In his termination notice, Bilton criticized Pelley for “misconduct” and “performative display of hostility,” saying Pelley “hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.” CBS News defended Weiss, saying her editorial notes “had no political motivation and were proposed solely to make the piece as strong, fair, and accurate as possible.”
Pelley argued that Weiss should lose her job, citing editorial notes she gave on a piece about protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis. He said CBS News “is on fire” and called for a “return to sanity” at the network, though he expressed hope that “it’s possible to land this plane.”
Sources
- USA Today — Pelley’s emotional first interview, his comments comparing the firing to a spouse’s death, and his criticism of CBS leadership.
- The New York Times — Recording of the staff meeting, details of the termination notice, and CBS’s statement defending Weiss.
