Scott Pelley Details 37-Year CBS Exit After Clash With Nick Bilton and Bari Weiss
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Scott Pelley Details 37-Year CBS Exit After Clash With Nick Bilton and Bari Weiss
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 7
Summary
Scott Pelley said his firing from “60 Minutes” followed a confrontation with newly installed boss Nick Bilton after Bari Weiss dismissed several senior colleagues.
In his first interview since leaving, Pelley accused Weiss of editorial interference and bias, describing one incident he viewed as improper meddling; CBS News and Weiss deny the charges.
Pelley called the earlier purge a “Black Thursday massacre,” saying it wiped out the show’s senior staff despite strong performance under executive producer Tanya Simon.
He said “60 Minutes” had just posted 9% audience growth and a 190% increase in online reach, with 2.5 billion views last season, underscoring the turmoil around the overhaul.
The shake-up comes amid broader upheaval at CBS, including a Trump settlement, the network’s sale to David Ellison and Weiss’s appointment to lead CBS News without TV-news experience.