A star correspondent at beleaguered CBS show 60 Minutes has shared his feelings about staying on the program under its MAGA-curious new bosses.
Once a flagship news magazine for CBS, 60 Minutes has been mired in controversy since the network’s parent company was taken over by David Ellison, son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison.
The younger Ellison installed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, leading to an exodus of reporters and staff, with some citing political interference in their stories to appease the Trump administration.
Two of the program’s longest-serving reporters have remained on staff ahead of the show returning on Sept. 13: Bill Whitaker and Lesley Stahl.
Whitaker revealed his complicated thoughts on working at 60 Minutes under Weiss during a private gathering last week, according to a new report by Status.
At the event, hosted by Dr. Jonathan LaPook, chief medical correspondent for CBS News, Stahl and Whitaker were joined by purged former colleagues including correspondent Scott Pelley and former executive producer Tanya Simon.
Whitaker reportedly compared the current climate at 60 Minutes to a “seesaw,” and told colleagues he feels like a “traitor” for not quitting his job in solidarity with those fired by Weiss.
Whitaker added that he feels like a member of the “resistance” at 60 Minutes, but said he believed the iconic show could endure the storm it is currently in with Weiss at the helm.
The report said it was clear to those who attended the Manhattan event that Whitaker “remains emotionally torn” over his decision to stay at 60 Minutes.
The Daily Beast has contacted CBS for comment.
On a single day in May that staffers have since dubbed “Black Thursday,” Weiss fired Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, senior producer Matthew Polevoy, and correspondent Cecilia Vega, while correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s contract was not renewed the same week.
Days later, Weiss’s replacement for Simon, Nick Bilton, fired veteran correspondent Scott Pelley “for cause” after Pelley told him in front of staff that Weiss was “murdering” 60 Minutes.
Bilton has no previous experience working in TV news. Status reports that despite one source claiming 60 Minutes was experiencing a “five-alarm fire” over the lack of stories ready for their return to air in less than a month, Bilton “continues to exude confidence.”
The publication also reports that other staff members have questioned whether Bilton and the senior administration “understand the urgency of the situation.”
Weiss has been spotted on the 60 Minutes floor this week, with Status saying staffers believe she is the de facto executive producer of the show due to her “even more hands-on” approach.
Status also reported on “friction” between Weiss and a new 60 Minutes contributor, documentary filmmaker Sebastian Junger, over a Substack post from July 31.
In the post, Junger referenced the show going through “tremendous turmoil” and said, “I’m very clear that I’m working for the truth, not for CBS or anyone else, and it is my great honor to do that.”
The Substack post “did not sit well” with Weiss, according to Status, who noted she is “particularly sensitive to criticism.”
Junger joined Ross Douthat, Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips as new 60 Minutes correspondents alongside Stahl, Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim, with Norah O’Donnell remaining as a contributor.
