EXCLUSIVE: '60 Minutes' Facing 'MAGA Shake-Up' as CBS Boss Battles to Save Sagging Ratings
Bari Weiss is facing accusations of engineering a 'MAGA shake-up' at '60 Minutes' amid struggling ratings.
May 14 2026, Published 1:03 p.m. ET
Bari Weiss is facing accusations of engineering a "MAGA shake-up" at 60 Minutes as the CBS News chief moves to overhaul the legendary program amid falling ratings, newsroom unrest and claims editorial standards are being reshaped to align with the political climate around President Donald Trump.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, Weiss, 42, the founder of conservative-leaning outlet The Free Press, was installed as editor-in-chief of CBS News earlier this year by David Ellison – whose billionaire father Larry Ellison is known to be a supporter and confidant of Trump, 79.
60 Minutes Faces Internal 'MAGA' Rebrand
Bari Weiss faced accusations of engineering a 'MAGA shake-up' at '60 Minutes.'
Weiss is now said to be pushing to integrate more CBS News personalities into 60 Minutes, long regarded internally as a fiercely independent institution with its own editorial culture.
Among those expected to feature more prominently is Tony Dokoupil, 45, the current anchor of the CBS Evening News, whose tenure has struggled in the ratings and attracted criticism from colleagues who regard him as overly sympathetic to Trump-era talking points.
One source familiar with the tensions claimed the changes represented a deliberate ideological repositioning of the network.
The insider told us: "There's a growing feeling inside CBS that the old version of 60 Minutes – fiercely independent, resistant to outside influence and protective of its traditional editorial standards – is being systematically dismantled.
"What executives appear to want now is a program that feels more in step with the political and cultural shift happening across the country under Trump's second presidency.
"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. Among staff, people are openly describing it as a MAGA-style rebrand of one of television news' most respected institutions."
CBS Staff Fear Editorial Independence Is Being Rewritten
Tony Dokoupil criticized 'legacy media' during a filmed introduction to viewers.
Another source added: "A lot of people working inside CBS are increasingly worried that the network's leadership is willing to sacrifice the editorial independence that once defined 60 Minutes in exchange for higher ratings, better political relationships and protection in an intensely polarized media climate.
"There's a sense among journalists that securing access to powerful figures and avoiding conflict with the Trump administration is starting to take priority over the traditional standards the program built its reputation on.
"Staffers who have been there for years feel the culture is changing rapidly, and many privately believe the rules that once governed decision-making, reporting and editorial judgment are quietly being rewritten."
Weiss is also understood to want correspondents, including Matt Gutman and former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell to take on expanded roles within 60 Minutes.
Tony Dokoupil Faces Backlash Inside CBS News
Weiss reportedly coached the evening news anchor through his public remarks.
Dokoupil's role at CBS has become increasingly controversial since he took over the evening broadcast in January.
Weiss has reportedly coached him through a filmed introduction to viewers in which he criticized "legacy media" for relying on "academics or elites" – language critics said echoed MAGA rhetoric.
One CBS correspondent sneered: "He's deeply lacking in self-awareness."
Dokoupil is also said to not have even been Weiss's preferred choice for the anchor role.
One staffer said: "She wanted Bret Baier. She wanted Anderson Cooper. She wanted a name, and she does not see Tony Dokoupil as a name. A useful idiot for sure, but not a name."
Netanyahu Interview Sparks New '60 Minutes' Controversy
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Major Garrett secured a high-profile interview with Benjamin Netanyahu.
Further friction erupted this week after reports Weiss personally arranged an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, for Sunday's 60 Minutes broadcast.
The assignment reportedly went to chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, 63, rather than veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl, 84, who had allegedly spent months pursuing the interview.
The sit-down marked Netanyahu's first interview with a US broadcast network since the United States and Israel entered conflict with Iran.
During the interview, Netanyahu said the war was not over because there was still "work to be done" concerning Iran's uranium stockpiles, nuclear infrastructure, proxy militias and ballistic missile production.
Sources say Garrett secured the interview because Weiss allowed Netanyahu's office to choose the interviewer.
CBS defended the decision in a statement, saying: "It's the editor in chief's job to make decisions about bookings and interviews. Major is a world-class journalist and did a tough, fair, and news-making interview."
