EXCLUSIVE: '60 Minutes' Mutiny — Axed Anchor is the Latest Casualty in Shocking Staff Uprising on Flagship Show
A '60 Minutes' anchor became the latest casualty amid a shocking staff uprising at the show.
June 23 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
A shocking civil war has erupted at 60 Minutes – and insiders now say Scott Pelley's explosive exit may be only the opening shot in a full-scale newsroom insurrection.
Behind the famous ticking stopwatch, panic and defiance are colliding as CBS' crown-jewel newsmagazine lurches deeper into chaos, sources told RadarOnline.com.
Newsroom Revolt Shows No Signs
A source said producers, editors and bookers at '60 Minutes' are discussing departures amid growing anger and frustration.
And despite assurances from longtime mainstays Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim that they intend to remain "for now," insiders said their time on the show is almost certainly ticking.
"It's not just the correspondents. Producers, editors and bookers are all talking about leaving. There is a sense of anger, betrayal and injustice in the newsroom," a source insisted.
"Lesley and Bill don't need this drama. They have more than enough money and nothing left to prove. Whether they stay or leave tomorrow wouldn't change their lives one bit."
The confrontational departure of longtime colleague Pelley after his blistering face-off with incoming executive producer Nick Bilton has ignited whispers that suggest more of the show's most famous faces will refuse to bow to the new regime installed by controversial CBS News chief Bari Weiss.
Pelley Torches New Leadership Team
Scott Pelley allegedly told Nick Bilton he would 'never be welcome' during a confrontation over the future of '60 Minutes.'
Sources said the mood inside the storied program is mutinous and there's open contempt for the new leadership.
Pelley pulled the pin on his tenure at the Sunday night institution by torching Bilton at the new exec's staff meeting, mocking his credentials, rejecting his authority and declaring he would "never be welcome."
At one point Pelley blasted Weiss, who handpicked Bilton, ranting she "has no qualifications for her job" and she is "murdering" 60 Minutes.
Bari Weiss' appointment of Bilton to lead '60 Minutes' drew criticism from staffers concerned about his lack of news experience.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, Weiss' sweeping and often unpopular changes in the news division have included installing relatively inexperienced Tony Dokoupil as Evening News anchor, shuttering CBS News Radio and hiring Bilton, a former New York Times tech columnist with little news experience, to helm 60 Minutes.
Insiders say the room "erupted" in applause after Bilton stormed out of the room following his confrontation with Pelley.
The next day, Bilton fired Pelley for cause, in a letter to the dropped anchor, "Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear."
Pelley Becomes Symbol of Revolt
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Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim said remaining at '60 Minutes' should not be viewed as support for recent leadership changes.
Insiders said the incident, which comes on the heels of the exit of fellow correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, whose contract was not renewed after she openly objected to executive meddling in news reports, appears to have turned Pelley into a martyr for staffers who believe 60 Minutes is being dismantled from within.
Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim made it clear their decision to remain shouldn't be interpreted as support for Weiss or the recent changes.
"That is simply, categorically not the case," they said in a joint statement.
