FILE – Scott Pelley, a “60 MINUTES” correspondent, is pictured. (Photo by Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)
After “60 Minutes” Executive Producer Bill Owens resigned last week, the show’s correspondent Scott Pelley paid tribute to him on Sunday’s newscast – and called out the corporate owner.
Pelley made his comments at the end of the evening’s CBS News telecast.
Here’s what to know:
‘60 Minutes’ calls out Paramount
The backstory:
Owens, only the third top executive in the 57-year history of “60 Minutes,” resigned last week – saying he no longer felt he had the independence to run the program as he had in the past, and felt necessary.
What we know:
Pelley paid tribute to Owens, saying on the air that “none of us is happy” about the extra supervision that CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, is imposing. He noted that in quitting, Owens proved he was the right person for the job.
“It was hard on him, and it was hard on us,” Pelley said. “But he did it for us — and you.”
Big picture view:
Pelley’s on-air statement was an unusual peek behind the scenes at the sort of inner turmoil that viewers seldom get the opportunity to see.
Dig deeper:
Paramount Global is in the midst of a merger with Skydance Media that needs the approval of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has sued “60 Minutes” for $20 billion, saying it unfairly edited a Kamala Harris interview last fall to her advantage.
Owens and others at “60 Minutes” believe they did nothing wrong and have opposed a settlement.
As a result, Pelley told viewers on Sunday that Paramount has begun to supervise “60 Minutes” stories in new ways. Former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky, a longtime news producer, has reportedly been asked to look at the show’s stories before they air.
Despite this, “60 Minutes” has done tough stories about the Trump administration almost every week since the inauguration in January – many of them reported by Pelley. On Sunday, “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the latest, interviewing scientists about cutbacks at the National Institutes for Health.
Trump was particularly angered by the show’s telecast two weeks ago, saying on social media that CBS News should “pay a big price” for going after him.
What they’re saying:
“Bill was with CBS News nearly 40 years, 26 years at ’60 Minutes,’” Pelley said. “He covered the world, covered combat, the White House. His was a quest to open minds, not close them. If you’ve ever worked hard for a boss because you admired them, then you understand what we’ve enjoyed here.”
He added that Owens resigned “for us and you” after feeling that he lost “independence” to take part in “honest journalism.”
“Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger,” Pelley said. “The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories have been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism required.”
He closed, “No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing. He was the right person to lead ’60 Minutes’ all along.”
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Source: This story was reported citing the “60 Minutes” newscast on April 27, 2025. It was reported from Cincinnati, and the Associated Press contributed.
