Scott Pelley is out at 60 Minutes, and it happened fast. Multiple reports say the longtime correspondent was fired after he attacked the show’s new leadership in front of staff, accusing CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program. This is the kind of media shakeup that does not happen often. A celebrated network figure torched the new bosses on day one and got walked out the door. Benny Johnson flagged the news on X as it broke. Scott Pelley of ‘60 Minutes’ has been fired by CBS pic.twitter.com/b4zECNZS1F — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 3, 2026 Axios reported that Nick Bilton, the newly installed executive producer of 60 Minutes, fired Pelley after Pelley assailed him in front of staff members during a meeting on Bilton’s first day on the job. The Daily Beast reported that Bilton’s explosive letter firing the longtime correspondent had already leaked. Here is the backdrop, because the timing tells the whole story. Bari Weiss’s team has been remaking CBS News, and the latest round hit the network’s flagship news magazine hard. Fox News Digital laid out exactly what changed and how leadership had tried to keep Pelley on before the confrontation: CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and newly appointed “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton made multiple overtures to the show’s veteran correspondent Scott Pelley before the tense showdown he had with the incoming boss, Fox News Digital has learned. Weiss sent shock waves across the media landscape on Thursday with the ousting of “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as well as executive producer Tanya Simon among others, marking an editorial shift in the long-running news magazine program with Weiss handpicking an outsider to lead its path forward. Prior to Monday’s staff meeting, where Pelley had a contentious exchange with Bilton about the dismissals, both Weiss and Bilton had reached out to Pelley expressing their desire to have him remain a “60 Minutes” correspondent and that he hadn’t engaged with them before the war of words unfolded, according to a source familiar with CBS News leadership. However, it is unclear whether Weiss and Bilton still hold that sentiment towards Pelley, particularly after he lashed out at his bosses in front of the staff. That was the pre-firing picture: management had tried to keep Pelley, but the meeting blew up anyway. He no longer has the job. What Pelley actually said is the part that matters here. The AP reported, citing Status reporting and a recording, that Pelley accused Weiss of murdering the show and said Bilton had slender qualifications. Fox News Digital reported Pelley told Bilton that Weiss was murdering 60 Minutes, did not love the place, and was brought in to kill it. That is not a quiet disagreement over editorial direction. That is a public broadside against the people who just took over. None of this is happening in a vacuum, and Trump-world noticed immediately. Pelley had already taken aim at Paramount and CBS leadership over the network’s handling of 60 Minutes during President Trump’s legal fight with CBS and Paramount. He later slammed Trump’s lawsuits against journalists and companies as being filed “for nothing” during a Wake Forest commencement address. So when the new regime moved in and Pelley went after them, the reaction on the right was swift. NOW: In a HUGE FAFO moment, CBS has just TERMINATED 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley’s contract, "EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY" Pelley accused Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of "MURDERING" the show and got into a heated meeting Executive Producer fired back in a scathing letter: "Your… pic.twitter.com/magpFWa4Om — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 3, 2026 Reports say the termination was effective immediately, with Bilton firing back in a scathing letter that has since leaked. As of publication, the firing trail runs through Axios, The Daily Beast, and the X posts above. For years the old 60 Minutes treated itself as untouchable. New ownership, new leadership, and a correspondent who picked a fight on day one just learned otherwise. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.