Scott Pelley welcomes new boss by accusing Bari Weiss of "murdering" 60 Minutes

After last week's round of passive layoffs, new 60 Minutes chief Nick Bilton got an earful from the veteran staff member.

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  June 1, 2026 | 6:21pm
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Scott Pelley welcomes new boss by accusing Bari Weiss of

Bari Weiss’ disruption, or as Scott Pelley calls it, “murdering,” of 60 Minutes continued to enrage staffers this morning as new executive producer Nick Bilton attempted to run his first staff meeting. It was not the enthusiastic moment of journalistic camaraderie he might have hoped for. Thankfully, Bilton, admittedly, has “no problem taking a job in a place that I am not welcome in” because that’s what he’s got, according to The New York Times. Held only days after the long-expected firings of executive producer Tayna Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, the meeting was bulldozed by Scott Pelley, a veteran CBS News correspondent with more than 30 years under his belt, who reportedly unloaded on Bilton. Pelley, who suggested Weiss take her job “more seriously” and criticized CBS parent company Paramount Skydance on the air, refuted Bilton’s claims that Weiss loved 60 Minutes and that the show would “stay exactly like it is for now.”

“[Weiss] is murdering 60 Minutes,” Pelley reportedly said. “She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that […] She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job. The changes that she’s made at the Evening News have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?”

Bilton tried to win back the staff with bagels and a plan to prove himself via one-on-one meetings over the next two weeks. Pelley responded in kind with asides like “oh, please,” and “you will never be welcome here.” When told by Weiss loyalist Charles Forelle that he was being “rude,” Pelley returned: “I’m not being rude. You know what was rude? Black Thursday was rude.” 

The explosive meeting comes after months of upheaval in front of and behind the camera at CBS (Stephen Colbert firing; Byron Allen hiring), CBS News (“Whiskey Fridays With Tony Dokoupil”), and 60 Minutes (spiking the CECOT story; forcing out those who reported and fought for it). Bilton is the latest in a series of controversial additions to the 60 Minutes staff. But Bilton continues Weiss’ theme of hiring people whose qualifications are questionable at best. Still, he won’t be intimidated by those who might stand opposed to Weiss’ changes. Plus, did we mention he brought bagels? 

“I have no problem taking a job in a place that I am not welcome in,” Bilton said. “I have been a journalist for 25 years, Scott. I’ve sat across from incredibly powerful people like you have, and none of it intimidates me. OK? So you are not going to intimidate me in front of this group of people. I want that to be clear.”

The 15-minute meeting concluded with Bilton thanking everyone for “graciously being so welcoming” before encouraging staff to “enjoy the bagels.” Staff applauded Pelley on the way out.

 
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