EXCLUSIVE: '60 Minutes' Chaos Erupts! New CBS Boss Bari Weiss 'Messing' With Legendary Program Has 'Broken' It Beyond Repair
Bari Weiss is being blamed for destroying '60 Minutes.'
Jan. 26 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
It's only been a few months since Bari Weiss took over CBS News, tasked with bringing her "anti-woke" approach to the fledgling organization, but her tenure has already been marred by mistakes and criticism – both within and outside her network.
And RadarOnline.com can report her greatest casualty so far may be the Tiffany net's flagship newscast, 60 Minutes.
Staff and Viewer Outrage
Weiss is fighting for respect among CBS employees as she brings an 'anti-woke' approach to the network news.
Almost immediately after taking the reins, the new editor-in-chief cleaned house of many CBS employees who dared to challenge her, while those who remained were said to be terrified of losing their jobs at any moment.
However, the newsroom united to revolt against her in December, when Weiss controversially shelved a 60 Minutes segment from correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi that exposed harrowing stories from Venezuelan deportees who were sent to El Salvador's maximum-security prison after being deported by the Trump administration.
Viewer outrage was immediate, with many pointing out that the story is the type of reporting the newsmagazine has prided itself on since its debut in 1968.
"60 Minutes has been the top-rated show in all of television for years," one industry insider told Radar. "That's the one thing that's not broken over at CBS News…or at least it was the one thing before Weiss put her hands on it."
'60 Minutes' Legacy on the Line
Scott Pelley was an early objector.
60 Minutes is currently the third most popular show on CBS and 13th overall on TV, watched by nearly 9 million people each week. But when Alfonsi's piece finally did air on January 18, it landed with a thud, drawing only about 5.1 million viewers.
Our insider pondered: "Why she's messing with 60 Minutes is beyond me – it’s literally the only show that rates at CBS."
The rejection by viewers has only been matched by the rejection of the CBS journalists – many of whom believe their jobs are on the line unless they get behind Weiss and her conservative newsroom makeover.
"It’s a war zone," one producer revealed. "People are terrified, whispering about who’s next."
Weiss Eyes Employee Changes
Sharyn Alfonsi and Anderson Cooper could be on the chopping block.
Alfonsi could be the first to go, after she publicly criticized Weiss and her decision to pull her report when it was originally set to air. Alfosni later took her frustration out on Weiss' deputy, Adam Rubenstein, yelling at him, "You don't get to produce me!"
She then accused him of being "a mouthpiece" for the Trump administration and asked if he had ever produced a minute of television news before.
But she's not the only high-profile name to be dangled, as fellow 60 Minutes correspondents Scott Pelley and Anderson Cooper are also said to be on thin ice with Weiss.
And in a true show of force, Gayle King's 13-year reign over CBS Mornings, marked by her openly liberal bias, could be the biggest name to fall.
"Once Gayle’s gone, the Bari era will be complete," one exec confessed.
A Newsroom in Revolt
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Gayle King could be the biggest casualty of Weiss' new regime.
Weiss was introduced to her new role in early October and immediately came out swinging, calling a meeting of 60 Minutes employees and asking them bluntly, "Why does the country think you're biased?" leaving them stunned.
"It was basically a revolt," a show source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack. "They felt blindsided and humiliated and wanted to hit back."
The insider claimed correspondents Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim openly complained about Weiss’s "outsider arrogance."
"They think she’s questioning their integrity — and their legacy," another staffer huffed.
