'60 Minutes' Slammed Over 'Pathetic' Pete Hegseth Interview as Critics Brand Season Premiere a 'Propaganda Piece'

The revamped 60 Minutes was slammed after the first show of its new season, after presenting what many critics called a "softball" interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, RadarOnline.com can report.

60 Minutes has undergone a massive overhaul in both tone and its correspondents, as new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss implements an "anti-woke" approach to the newsroom.

The legendary newsmagazine returned for its closely watched 59th-season premiere Sunday night amid heavily criticized changes to the program.

However, the first episode got off to a rocky start with Norah O'Donnell's interview with Hegseth. The segment focused on the U.S. military operation that rescued an F-15 weapons systems officer stranded in Iran – a story the secretary reportedly "pushed for."

After the segment aired, viewers flooded social media, declaring the show as "state TV" and "total propaganda." O'Donnell, who has officially returned to CBS Mornings as a permanent third co-anchor, was singled out and accused of tossing the softball questions and failing to fire back at the Trump administration official.

"Pathetic 60 Minutes, you tried so hard to make Pete Hegseth look like a brave, heroic leader. It looks like a total propaganda piece," one user wrote in response to a clip of the segment shared on X.

"Can't imagine watching 60 Minutes ever until Weiss resigns," another person slammed. "Toxic, pathetic, sellout."

While a third blasted, "Wow. riveting stuff from a bunch of sellouts. Do yourself a favor, y’all, and turn this propaganda off."

For a show so trusted in covering the news, 60 Minutes found itself becoming the news this summer, as conservative influencer Weiss took control and made sweeping changes to the staff.

The turmoil began with the ouster of executive producer Tanya Simon and deepened with the departures of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. In April, Executive Producer Bill Owens stepped down, explaining he no longer had control over the show as it had become evident he "would not be allowed to run the show as [he had] always run it" or make "independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes."

Anderson Cooper also bid farewell to 60 Minutes after 20 years to prioritize his family.

Then, on June 2, the show's new executive producer, Nick Bilton, released a memo announcing that Scott Pelley was "terminated for cause effective immediately" after the longtime anchor allegedly "hijacked" his first meeting with staff to "disparage" Bilton, his qualifications, and his "intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."

"I welcome a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate among the team, but this was nothing of the sort," the new executive producer lashed out at Pelley.

Weiss also issued a separate statement after Pelley's firing, which read, "I hope I speak, I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I'm only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it.

"That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately, we weren't able to do so, and so we had to part ways. We did not want that to happen, but that's the path that he chose."

In the wake of a wave of firings and departures, 60 Minutes correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim stated they intend to stay with the newsmagazine.

"Here's why we are staying: We don't want to see 60 Minutes die," they wrote in a joint memo, in which they also expressed their dismay over the treatment of fellow journalists.

Although they signaled their willingness to remain in the program for now, they did not rule out the possibility of leaving at a later date.

"If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is – committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling – we're here for it. If not, we leave," they continued.