CBS fires – Scott Pelley, a veteran correspondent on “60 Minutes,” has been terminated by CBS News after more than two decades on the program. The decision follows a heated June 1 staff meeting where Pelley sharply criticized newly hired “60 Minutes” executive Nick Bilton
Scott Pelley walked into a first staff meeting with new “60 Minutes” leadership and left with CBS making it permanent.
CBS News terminated Pelley. a “60 Minutes” correspondent for more than two decades. leaving him without severance or other benefits. according to information obtained by the outlet. Pelley’s exit comes after what was described as a heated staff exchange on June 1—one in which he accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the news institution. based on a recording obtained and reported in connection with that date.
In a termination note obtained by the outlet, newly hired “60 Minutes” executive Nick Bilton told Pelley he had hoped the show could find a “path forward together” following what Bilton called “misconduct,” but said, “You made it clear that you are not interested in such a path.”
Bilton wrote that the response left him no choice but to act. “It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead. Yesterday. you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me. my qualifications. and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. ” the note said. Bilton added: “Yesterday’s performative display of hostility — enacted in front of the staff instead of in a civil. private conversation — demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”.
Pelley, who has worked at CBS News for nearly 40 years, was reported to have slammed Bilton during the June 1 exchange. That meeting was intended to introduce Bilton. a former Times technology columnist and investigative journalist. who was hired to lead “60 Minutes” in late May. A digital news outlet and newsletter also reported details of the leaked audio.
Staff were informed of Pelley’s termination in a note from Bilton that acknowledged Pelley’s standing in the newsroom. Bilton wrote, “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend. and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.”.
The dispute lands as CBS News begins its attempt to reset a flagship program. With Bilton arriving in late May and the staff meeting taking place June 1. the window for that “path forward” appears to have narrowed fast—especially after the confrontation was described as public. pointed. and personal.
CBS News did not immediately provide a fuller explanation beyond Bilton’s note, and the network was reached out to for comment.
Scott Pelley CBS News 60 Minutes Nick Bilton Bari Weiss media termination executive leadership newsroom conflict