Fired '60 Minutes' Star Scott Pelley Accuses CBS News Boss Bari Weiss of Pushing Trump's Agenda and Demands for Her Removal
Scott Pelley called for Bari Weiss to be removed as CBS News editor in chief during a candid New York Times interview.
June 7 2026, Published 11:20 a.m. ET
Scott Pelley unloaded on CBS News leadership in his first interview since being fired from 60 Minutes, accusing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of favoring President Donald Trump's administration and calling for her removal, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The veteran journalist claimed Weiss repeatedly interfered with editorial decisions, pushed for stories to reflect the president's views, and lacked the experience needed to run a television news operation.
Red Flags
The former 60 Minutes correspondent accused Weiss of favoring the Trump administration in editorial decisions.
Speaking with The New York Times' Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Pelley said he had reservations about Weiss from the moment she was hired.
"What concerned me was that she had zero television experience and had never managed a large global operation like CBS News," he said. "Those were red flags to me, but I thought, [Paramount Skydance CEO] David Ellison thinks she's the right person for the job."
Pelley also mocked Weiss' push to modernize the news division.
"Of course we have to reach out to a younger and younger audience, but their argument about joining the internet age is just disingenuous," he said. "It's almost as if Bari Weiss and [new 60 Minutes executive producer] Nick Bilton were sealed in a time capsule in 1990, and it just cracked open. They've just discovered the internet, and they're running around telling everybody how important it is."
'Can We Make the Protestors Look More Violent?'
Pelley alleged Weiss sought changes to a Minneapolis protest story just hours before it was set to air.
Pelley pointed to a dispute over a 60 Minutes report about anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis as evidence of what he described as Weiss' editorial interference.
"About four hours after our deadline, Bari Weiss sends an email to my boss, Tanya Simon," Pelley recalled. "Two of the things in the email include, can we make the protesters look more violent? Now, I'm paraphrasing. I don't have the quote, but that's what was communicated to me."
He added: "And the other thing, Renee Good's car. You need to describe her as driving toward the officer."
According to Pelley, the available footage contradicted that characterization.
"This is not what you see on the video," he said. "On the video, you see the officer standing slightly off the front of the car. And you clearly see Ms. Good's wheels turned completely as far as they will go, away from the officer."
Pelley continued: "We have gone out of our way in our plan from the very beginning to show the protesters for the responsibility that they had. We had already scrubbed the video archives, looking for those scenes. Somehow that wasn't enough for Ms. Weiss."
"The video showed that the officer wasn't standing in front of the car and she wasn't driving toward him, but that's what the president said about that, and that's the way she wanted it described."
CBS Pushes Back
CBS News denied the accusations and said Weiss' feedback was intended to make the report 'fair and accurate.'
CBS News denied Pelley's claims, insisting Weiss' feedback was part of a standard editorial process.
A spokesperson told The New York Times: "In an email, Bari made four points in the course of editorial back-and-forth. They had no political motivation and were proposed solely to make the piece as strong, fair, and accurate as possible."
The spokesperson added: "As is frequently the case in any newsroom that operates with collaboration, not everything she raised made it into the final piece."
The network also disputed Pelley's allegation that Weiss was favoring the Trump administration.
"There is no credible argument to suggest Ms. Weiss was 'putting a thumb on the scale on behalf of the administration' in any instance over the past seven months," the spokesperson said.
'Television's Not Her Thing'
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Pelley described Weiss as 'a lovely person' but argued she lacks the experience needed to run a television news operation.
Pelley said the Minneapolis dispute left him convinced Weiss was prioritizing the White House's perspective.
"My impression at the time was that she was putting a thumb on the scale on behalf of the administration," he said. "Constantly looking out for the views of the president. We're reporting those views. There's nothing wrong with reporting those views, but it was never enough."
He also blasted what he called a lack of newsroom experience.
"The bigger problem ... frankly, is not any kind of political influence. The problem was the incompetence," Pelley said. "You don't break a deadline."
"That episode came within 19 minutes of not making it to air. The entire hour of 60 Minutes! It was the night of the Grammys. 60 Minutes was the lead-in to the Grammys, and we almost didn't have a broadcast."
When Garcia-Navarro asked whether Weiss should be removed from her position, Pelley offered an immediate response.
"Oh, gosh, yes," he said.
"Look, she's a lovely person. And her Free Press organization that she founded has been very successful. But television's not her thing."
Comparing the role to flying a commercial jet without training, he added: "This is like somebody walking up to me and saying, 'There's a 747, there are 400 people on it, we need you to fly it to Paris.' I'm going to decline because I don't have a clue."
"And it would have been so much better if Bari Weiss had been offered this job and said, 'Oh, that's not for me, I don't know how to do that.'"
