Veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley said he was fired from CBS News following a heated clash with the network's new leadership.

The dispute highlights a volatile transition period at one of the most influential news programs in the U.S., pitting a long-term institutional pillar against new management.

Pelley issued a statement on June 2, 2026 [2], challenging the network's characterization of his departure. He said he was fired a day after a heated staff meeting in early June 2026 [2] at the CBS News headquarters in New York. The conflict involved editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and new executive producer Nick Bilton.

Pelley, who had been with CBS for 37 years [1], said the new leadership was "openly hostile from the start". He said Weiss misled staff members regarding the circumstances of his exit.

The tension peaked during the staff meeting, where the veteran journalist clashed with the new regime. An internal CBS News source said to Pelley, "Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear".

Pelley has expressed a deep connection to the legacy of the program. "There has never been anything in America like 60 Minutes," Pelley said.

CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and the new production team have not provided a conflicting public timeline, though the network's initial framing of the departure differed from Pelley's account of a firing based on leadership clashes.

“"There has never been anything in America like 60 Minutes."”

The public rift between Pelley and the new leadership suggests a fundamental shift in the editorial direction of '60 Minutes.' By replacing a 37-year veteran with a team led by Bari Weiss, CBS News is signaling a departure from traditional broadcast norms in favor of a new institutional identity, a transition that is proving to be internally contentious.