Is 60 – CBS has not announced plans to cancel “60 Minutes,” even as CBS News has seen a run of firings, departures, and leadership changes. The changes include the removal of executive producer Tanya Simon, the firing of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega,
For more than a decade, “60 Minutes” has felt like television’s steady hand. But lately. that steadiness has been tested from inside CBS News—through firings. executive departures. and leadership shifts—leaving viewers to wonder what happens to an institution when the newsroom around it keeps changing.
Despite all the turbulence, “60 Minutes” has not been canceled. CBS has not announced plans to end the legendary newsmagazine, which is expected to continue into its 59th season.
The questions around its future have only grown louder since CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss took the lead and a wave of departures followed.
CBS correspondents and familiar faces have been caught in the crosscurrents. Among them is Anderson Cooper, who spent nearly 20 years reporting for the CBS newsmagazine before signing off in May 2026. Cooper said his exit was driven by a desire to spend more time with his family.
Not even that kind of personal decision has stopped speculation, because it has come as CBS News itself has been in upheaval.
The shakeup began with the removal of executive producer Tanya Simon. Then, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were fired.
On June 2. 2026. the disruption escalated further when longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after publicly criticizing Weiss and questioning the qualifications of newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting. Pelley has been with CBS News since 1989 and is among the program’s most recognizable voices.
Pelley responded in a statement that didn’t pull punches. “When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me. our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects. ” he wrote. “Now. the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside. apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking.”.
He also said. “I depart after 37 years at CBS with one emotion—a heart brimming with gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work. very often at the risk of their own lives. I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again—a day when sanity. competence. and courage return.”.
The departures weren’t limited to “60 Minutes” figures alone. In 2026, longtime executive producer Bill Owens stepped down in April, citing concerns about maintaining the program’s editorial independence.
Shortly afterward, Cooper announced he was leaving the show after nearly 20 years, explaining that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Taken together. the timeline makes one thing clear: even as the show’s future hasn’t been officially cut short. the people shaping it have been shifting quickly—turning the question for viewers from “Is it canceled?” to “Who’s still steering the program when the next episode airs in the 59th season?”.
60 Minutes CBS Bari Weiss Scott Pelley Sharyn Alfonsi Cecilia Vega Nick Bilton Tanya Simon Bill Owens Anderson Cooper television news media shakeup firings executive departures