Has '60 Minutes' Been Canceled Post-Firings? Inside the Future of the CBS Program

Is 60 Minutes now on borrowed time?

Despite the recent firings, the CBS newsmagazine program will continue airing under the supervision of the show's new executive producer, Nick Bilton. The journalist's new role was announced on May 28.

"You have these platforms, where there are blogs and podcasts and so on, that don't necessarily do original reporting," he told Axios. "Some of them do, but a lot of them don't. They don't ask tough questions in interviews. That is to me what 60 Minutes represents and it's what the founding of the show is about, and it's what I really want to focus on."

Under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, the network underwent a whirlwind of firings, departures and management upheavals that stoked cancelation rumors for 60 Minutes.

Turmoil at 60 Minutes began with the ouster of executive producer Tanya Simon and deepened with the departures of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. In April, Bill Owens stepped down, explaining he no longer had control over the show as it had become evident he "would not be allowed to run the show as [he had] always run it" or make "independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes."

"So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward," Owens added in the memo.

Anderson Cooper also bid farewell to 60 Minutes after 20 years to prioritize his family.

Then, on June 2, Bilton released a memo announcing Pelley was "terminated for cause effective immediately" after the longtime anchor allegedly "hijacked" his first meeting with staff to "disparage" Bilton, his qualifications and his "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," the new executive producer lashed out at Pelley.

Weiss also issued a separate statement after Pelley's firing, which read, "I hope I speak, I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that 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, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren't able to do so, and so we had to part ways. We did not want that to happen, but that's the path that he chose."

Pelley vehemently rejected Weiss' comments and said she "knows what she said is not true."

"In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to 'find a way back,' as Weiss said in the editorial meeting," he added. "At no point did anyone in the Tuesday meeting suggest that there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution."

In the wake of a wave of firings and departures, 60 Minutes correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim stated they intend to stay with the newsmagazine.

"Here's why we are staying: We don't want to see 60 Minutes die," they wrote in a joint memo, in which they also expressed their dismay over the treatment of fellow journalists.

Although they signaled their willingness to remain at the program for now, they did not rule out the possibility of leaving at a later date.

"If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we're here for it. If not, we leave," they continued.