CBS Boss Bari Weiss Accuses Scott Pelley of Violating 'Foundation' of 'Trust and Respect' After '60 Minutes' Firing

Tensions at CBS appear to be boiling over following the departure of longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.

According to an audio transcript of an editorial meeting obtained by The New York Times, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss addressed staff after a heated internal dispute that reportedly contributed to Pelley's firing.

During the newsroom call, Weiss emphasized the importance of workplace relationships and suggested recent events had damaged the culture she expects at the network.

“I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect; we cannot do our work without it. That foundation was broken on Monday,” Weiss reportedly told staff during the morning meeting.

As OK! previously reported, Pelley was removed from 60 Minutes after an escalating conflict with the show's newly appointed executive producer, Nick Bilton.

Bilton informed employees on Tuesday, June 2, that Pelley had been dismissed from the program.

“You should hear this from me first. We have parted ways with Scott Pelley,” Bilton wrote in a memo to staff. “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.”

He added, “Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. I welcome a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate among the team, but this was nothing of the sort.”

Pelley had been a fixture at 60 Minutes for nearly three decades, making the split particularly shocking for many inside the organization.

During the reportedly tense meeting on Monday, June 1, Pelley did not hold back when discussing network leadership.

According to reports, he told Bilton that Weiss is "murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place; she was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.”

He also questioned Bilton's qualifications for the role, arguing that the former New York Times and Vanity Fair journalist lacked the experience needed to lead the iconic news program.

Pelley reportedly pressed Bilton on why he accepted the position despite resistance from staff, asking, "knowing that you will never be welcome here.”

Bilton responded by making it clear he intended to prove himself to the team.

"Well, I will show you. That’s what I have to say,” Bilton replied. “That is my plan over the next two weeks. I’ll be meeting with everyone. I’m very excited to meet with everyone, yourself included."

Weiss had selected Bilton to oversee the program just one month earlier.

Following his departure, Pelley spoke with The New York Times and defended his commitment to the legendary show.

“I have been in combat in Afghanistan,” Pelley said. “I have been in combat in Iraq. I have been in the war zone in Ukraine multiple times, risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my devotion to the broadcast.”

He also took issue with Bilton's characterization of the situation, arguing that the memo failed to reflect the values that have long defined the program.

He added that Bilton’s statement “betrays a complete misunderstanding of what we work for and what we live for at 60 Minutes.”

Pelley also directed criticism toward Weiss, calling her leadership style into question after she reportedly declined to explain the dismissal of former executive producer Tanya Simon.

He described her actions as “cold and callous and beneath the dignity of CBS News.”