Former '60 Minutes' Chief Bill Owens Is Writing Scathing Tell-All Memoir Slamming CBS Amid Bari Weiss' Network Shakeup
Bill Owens is reportedly planning a tell-all book on his time at CBS.
July 17 2026, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Former 60 Minutes chief Bill Owens is planning a scathing tell-all memoir that will take aim at CBS News and Paramount one year after he resigned from the popular news program, according to reports.
However, this has sparked concerns, as Owens is still believed to be receiving a hefty multimillion-dollar pay-out as a part of his separation agreement, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Bill Owens Plans New Book
Bill Owens worked at CBS News for more than 30 years.
In the tell-all, he's set to discuss President Donald Trump's lawsuit over the editing of former Vice President Kamala Harris' 60 Minutes interview during the 2024 election, as well as the subsequent settlement, which Owens described as "perhaps the worst legal strategy ever employed by the worst-run media company in the history of America," per Breaker Media.
He also reportedly suggested that senior management was placing political affiliation before journalism.
Owens' separation agreement with the company reportedly included a non-disparagement clause, which could potentially be broken depending on the content of his upcoming book, according to the New York Post and Puck News.
However, no lawsuits have been filed as of yet, according to the outlets.
Bills Owens Resigns
Bill Owens left CBS News in 2025.
Last year, Owens made the decision to resign after more than 30 years at CBS News, several months before new network boss Bari Weiss took over.
"Over the past months, it has … become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience," Owens told staff in an April 2025 memo, according to NBC News.
"So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward," he added.
Bari Weiss' CBS News Shakeup
Bari Weiss has made major changes at CBS News since she took over.
Weiss assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief at CBS News in October 2025 and has been busy making sweeping – and highly controversial – changes to programming schedules and staff since then in an alleged effort to make the network appear less left-leaning.
In May, Anderson Cooper also left his role at 60 Minutes after nearly 20 years. Meanwhile, a source claims there are fears that Weiss could give the show itself a full "MAGA shake-up."
"A lot of journalists inside the building believe the show is being softened and repositioned to appeal to a more conservative audience, with personalities and story choices that are far less confrontational toward MAGA politics than they would have been a few years ago," the source claimed at the time. "Among staff, people are openly describing it as a MAGA-style rebrand of one of television news' most respected institutions."
Scott Pelley Accuses Bari Weiss of Killing '60 Minutes'
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Scott Pelley was fired from '60 Minutes.'
As Radar previously reported, longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after a heated clash with new executive producer Nick Bilton.
"She’s murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place," Pelley said of Weiss, according to leaked audio recordings obtained by outlets like The New York Times. "She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that."
"She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job," he continued. "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?"
