60 Minutes Turmoil: What to Know After Scott Pelleys Firing

“60 Minutes,” a crown jewel of broadcast journalism, is known for breaking big stories.This week, it has found itself at the center of one.Scott Pelley, a longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent and a former anchor of “CBS Evening News,” was fired on Tuesday after a contentious staff meeting where he admonished management and criticized the long-running show’s new direction.It was the latest in a string of staffing changes and controversies since the network’s parent company was acquired last year and Bari Weiss, a former New York Times opinion staffer and longtime critic of legacy media, was hired to lead the news division.Here’s how CBS and “60 Minutes” ended up here.August 2025: CBS’s parent company, Paramount, is acquiredThe shake-ups at CBS News began last year, when the media company Skydance took over Paramount.

The $8 billion deal placed Skydance’s founder, David Ellison, at the helm of a powerful media conglomerate.Mr.Ellison pledged to overhaul Paramount.

But he was inheriting steep financial challenges and morale issues: A month before the acquisition, Paramount agreed to pay President Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview.The settlement was viewed by many in the CBS newsroom as a low point for the storied television network....