Former "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News leadership of political bias and incompetence in his first sit-down interview since he was fired from the network last week after clashing with new management.Pelley told The New York Times' Lulu Garcia-Navarro that he hoped Paramount leadership would intervene after recent upheaval at the long-running newsmagazine."Right now, CBS News is on fire," Pelley said.Pelley, who spent 37 years at CBS News, said the turmoil began after CBS dismissed several senior "60 Minutes" staffers and installed tech journalist Nick Bilton as the program’s new executive producer under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton told longtime correspondent Scott Pelley to remain on the program before he criticized his bosses at a staff meeting, a source told Fox News Digital.(Michele Crowe/CBS News 2025; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)CBS NEWS CHIEFS TOLD SCOTT PELLEY THEY WANTED HIM TO STAY ON '60 MINUTES' BEFORE TENSE CLASH WITH NEW PRODUCERPelley described the staff cuts as a "Black Thursday massacre" and said employees were left without a clear explanation."This is our entire senior staff," Pelley said.
"Tanya Simon, our boss, she’s the first woman ever to be executive producer of ‘60 Minutes.’ And she concluded this season with a growth in our audience of nine percent, which is unheard-of in broadcast television, and a growth of our online presence of 190 percent."Pelley said he canceled a planned trip with his wife to attend Bilton's first staff meeting, where he objected to Bilton reading remarks from his phone after the firings.Pelley claimed he felt obligated to speak because he was the senior person in the room.Pelley criticized Bari Weiss’ handling of CBS News and argued she lacked the television experience needed to lead the network.(David M.
Russell/CBS via Getty Image/Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Image)CBS NE...