The turmoil surrounding Bill Owens‘ exit from 60 Minutes went public on Sunday night.
CBS News’ flagship newsmagazine threw its support behind its former executive producer, with correspondent Scott Pelley addressing Owens’ depature at the end of the broadcast. Tanya Simon will oversee the news program as it searches for a new leader.
“Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us. But he did it for us—and you,” Pelley said.
TVNewser reached out to CBS News for a statement regarding Pelley’s comments, but received no response at press time.
Owens cited a loss of journalistic independence as the reason for his departure. Last year, President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit over the show’s October interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s $20 billion suit accuses 60 Minutes of “deceitful” editing practices, a charge that CBS News labeled as “completely without merit.”
In recent months, Paramount Global’s owner, Shari Redstone, has been seeking to settle the suit amidst the company’s impending merger with Skydance Media.
“Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial,” Pelley said on-air, acknowledging that backstory. “Bill made sure they were accurate and fair; he was tough that way. But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. 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 requires.”
“No one here is happy about it,” Pelley concluded. “But, in resigning, Bill proved one thing: He was the right person to lead ‘60 Minutes’ all along.”
