Scott Pelley Claims He Was Asked to 'Inject Falsehoods and Bias' Into Reporting Following Firing From '60 Minutes' After Nasty Showdown With Network Bosses
Scott Pelley the longtime news show for his firing.
June 3 2026, Published 12:35 p.m. ET
A defiant Scott Pelley blasted CBS executives after his ouster from 60 Minutes, claiming network bosses pressured him to "inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Pelley, 68, did not address his allegedly petulant and bullying behavior towards new show executive producer Nick Bilton that led to his "termination with cause," but went on to accuse the network's new owner of trying to "curry favor" with Donald Trump's administration.
Scott Pelley Complained 'Good People Were Silenced' at '60 Minutes'
Pelley raged about a recent housecleaning at '60 Minutes' in his firing statement.
Pelley released a statement on his termination on the evening of June 2, addressing the May 28 "Black Thursday" firings of executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Bilton's hiring was announced later the same day.
"Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause. Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience. They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos," the veteran correspondent raged.
Scott Pelley Claims CBS Is Trying to 'Curry Favor' With the Trump Administration
Pelley raged against his firing in a fiery statement.
Pelley went on to fume, "For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them."
The 22-year 60 Minutes vet continued, "Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done."
Pelley also noted how "When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects. Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking."
Scott Pelley Slammed Bosses Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton's Job 'Qualifications'
Pelley openly called out CBS News boss Bari Weiss in front of 60 Minutes' staffers.
Pelley likely dug his own grave when he openly attacked Bilton in front of colleagues in a June 1 meet-and-greet, claiming both he and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss aren't deserving of their jobs.
"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 at the former New York Times tech writer in audio of the meeting obtained by the newspaper.
Pelley also accused The Free Press founder Weiss of "murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that."
Scott Pelley Fired 'With Cause' From CBS
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Nick Bilton told Pelley of his firing due to his 'antipathy' towards 60 Minutes' future.
Pelley was called into a meeting with Bilton, Weiss, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, and a representative from human resources to address his behavior and see if there was any future course of working together.
"Despite yesterday’s misconduct, I had hoped that in sitting down with you today, we could find a path forward together. You made clear that you are not interested in such a path," Bilton wrote to Pelley in a termination email.
"Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you. Therefore, your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately," the former Vanity Fair special correspondent concluded.
