David Ellison Reassures Rattled Staffers of '60 Minutes' Future in Desperate Phone Call to Lesley Stahl — as Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Goes Into Hiding in 6th Floor Suite
Paramount CEO called Lesley Stahl to reassure staffers of '60 Minutes' future as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss goes into hiding.
June 10 2026, Published 8:28 a.m. ET
Paramount CEO David Ellison has reassured rattled 60 Minutes staffers of the show's future as embattled editor-in-chief Bari Weiss goes into hiding.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Weiss, 42, has reportedly been holed up in her sixth-floor suite at CBS News HQ in the wake of Scott Pelley's controversial departure, which formed part of the show’s radical overhaul she’s spearheading.
'60 Minutes' 'Will Retain Editorial Independence'
Ellison called Stahl to acknowledge '60 Minutes' overhaul damaged its reputation.
60 Minutes' longest-serving correspondent Lesley Stahl calmed internal concerns by relaying a phone call she had with Ellison who reportedly acknowledged the manner in which the 60 Minutes overhaul had been executed had damaged the storied newsmagazine's reputation
The conversation took place during a morale-boosting champagne toast at the show's New York office.
Stahl, 84, claims Ellison, 43, assured her that his top priority is righting the ship and pledged the broadcast would retain editorial independence — a promise he had, notably, previously made before betraying them by allowing Weiss to fire correspondents and senior staffers.
Ellison’s hands-on involvement was welcome news to some inside CBS News, who have been hoping the media mogul will eventually rein Weiss in.
'The Problem Is Clearly Bari'
Insiders claim staffers feel editor-in-chief Weiss is responsible for the show's dip in fortunes.
One CBS News told Status: "The problem is clearly Bari. We are all trying to clean this up, but we need Ellison’s help."
Amid the show's upheaval, a slew of journalists, including 60 Minutes veterans Dan Rather and Steve Kroft, published an open letter to Ellison on June 1 urging CBS News "to uphold the principle of editorial independence" that was once the bedrock of the program.
Stahl — along with her 60 Minutes colleagues Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — has pledged to remain on the news program following the June 2 ouster of Emmy-winning journalist Pelley, who openly criticized CBS News' leadership and accused boss Weiss of "murdering" 60 Minutes.
Committing Future Was 'Hard' Call
Stahl, along with Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim, admitted it was a tough call to stay on show.
Nick Bilton, the new executive producer who personally fired Pelley, tried his own reassurance, writing in a June 4 staff memo that "the foundation of 60 Minutes is its journalistic independence," words that landed on a newsroom still counting empty offices.
Bilton arrived from magazine journalism with no television news background, a fact his veteran staff has not stopped noticing.
Stahl, Whitaker, and Wertheim admitted they "had a hard time deciding whether to stay at 60 Minutes," in a joint statement.
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Stahl and her colleagues are adamant they 'don't want to see '60 Minutes' die.'
"As far as we can tell — because no explanation has ever been offered, they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity. Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships. Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at 60."
The trio's decision to remain, however, is not "an endorsement of the existing power structure," insisted Stahl, Whitaker, and Wertheim.
"We don't want to see 60 Minutes die," they explained. "We have been grieving because this whole mess has wounded and damaged the broadcast. We want to stay and fight, to try and repair and preserve our reputation."
