'60 Minutes' Producer Quits After Bari Weiss' 'Forced Departures' — As New Boss Continues to Dismantle Iconic Show

A nearly 20-year veteran producer at 60 Minutes announced he has quit the embattled newsmagazine, saying his departure was "overshadowed" by the "forced departures" of colleagues during the show's brutal Black Thursday bloodbath in late May, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Henry Schuster, who had been with the show in a full-time capacity since January 2007, announced that it was "time for a change" amid CBS News chief Bari Weiss' sweeping changes, which ultimately led to the culling of 60 Minutes' top creative execs and several correspondents.

Schuster indicated that his plan to leave 60 Minutes in February was already in motion, but he waited to reveal the news in a June 29 announcement on LinkedIn.

"After almost two decades, it was time for a change," he began his post.

"It has been a great run at 60 Minutes, and what I got to do there was extraordinary. But I have been thinking about leaving for a while now, and when the opportunity presented itself in February, I took it. And finally, it is official. Although it has been overshadowed by the forced departures of so many colleagues and friends at the broadcast," Schuster continued.

Schuster's LinkedIn profile lists his end date with the show as June 2026, his current status as "gardening leave," and his future professional status as a questioning "retired?" while living in Beaufort, South Carolina, rather than his former Washington, D.C., post with the show.

"What's next? I ain't the retiring type, so after a bit of a break, I will think about what comes next. Maybe I will finally get my high school diploma, or see if I have another book in me. Or maybe something else...." the longtime broadcast journalist wrote.

Schuster said that, unlike many in his profession, he would not be starting a podcast or Substack but was "open to ideas" for any "interesting projects." He previously worked at CNN for 25 years, starting in 1981, and co-wrote the gripping true crime book Hunting Eric Rudolph.

Schuster's exit comes after the May 28 firings of 60 Minutes executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as part of a major purge.

Later that day, Weiss' handpicked replacement for Simon, former Vanity Fair special correspondent Nick Bilton, was announced with great fanfare.

During his initial meet-and-greet with staff the following Monday, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley blew up at Bilton so explosively that it led to his termination after 22 years with 60 Minutes and 37 years with the network, where he formerly anchored the CBS Evening News.

Pelley blasted Weiss as well as Bilton's credentials in front of the entire 60 Minutes team.

"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?" he fumed.

Pelley went on to rage at Bilton, "You will never be welcome here."

He was fired the following day after a meeting with Bilton, Weiss, and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski.