What To Know
- Several former 60 Minutes staffers have criticized CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss for her controversial leadership.
- This follows the recent firing of producers and correspondents, including veteran Scott Pelley.
- Former staffers argue that Weiss’s approach undermines the show’s independence and journalistic integrity.
As 60 Minutes continues to make headlines due to behind-the-scenes drama, several former staffers have spoken out about the recent upheaval at the hands of CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Six former staffers spoke with Variety this week following a month of turmoil at the long-running magazine program. Last month, Weiss fired producers Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. This was followed by veteran reporter Scott Pelley being terminated after he confronted the show’s new producer, Nick Bilton, about Weiss’ changes.
One unnamed former staffer told the outlet that 60 Minutes “needed a bit of a facelift,” admitting that there were “potentially positive ways to improve the program.” However, they said the way the network has gone about it is all wrong. “You don’t give a facelift with a f****** machete.”
60 Minutes has been at the center of controversy ever since Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief last October. Weiss has been putting her own stamp on the show, including pulling stories at the last minute. Alfonsi and Vega have spoken out about what they see as biased interference with the show.
Rome Hartman, who worked as a producer on 60 Minutes for 25 years, said, “This last week has been, for me, like watching an arsonist burn down my professional home and not really having the means to do anything about it.”
Hartman also slammed Bilton over Pelley’s firing, saying, “If Nick Bilton is such a snowflake that he can’t possibly tolerate a voice of challenge — and if Bari Weiss has to hide behind his skirts — that does not speak well of how he’s going to run the place or how she’s going to run the place.”
Former CBS News senior vice president Betsy West expressed her concerns about the show’s future, referencing the report that Weiss pulled Alfonsi’s CECOT story because the White House did not provide an on-camera response. The story, which was pulled in December 2025, eventually aired in January 2026 with minor edits.
“[Weiss] pulled a factual and legally vetted story about the conditions in Venezuela prisons just because the administration wouldn’t give a comment, essentially giving them veto power by not talking,” West stated. “It feels like she and the people she reports to are trying to check the independence of 60 Minutes and ultimately undermine the free press that undergirds our democracy.”
Steve Kroft, who left 60 Minutes in 2019 after 30 years as a correspondent, said he doesn’t believe Weiss will remain with 60 Minutes much longer. “I think once the deal gets done with Warner Bros. [Paramount is merging with WBD], people will demand that she be let go or move into another position,” he stated.
“Everything she’s touched has turned to s***,” he continued. “Everything she’s touched has gone colossally wrong. And I don’t think she’s showed any talent for this position. She’s only fulfilling other people’s agendas.”