CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss announced a major leadership overhaul at "60 Minutes" on Thursday, replacing longtime executive producer Tanya Simon with tech journalist and filmmaker Nick Bilton.
The sweeping changes also resulted in the exits of executive producer Draggan Mihailovich and full-time correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
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New Leadership Vows Digital Transformation
Network executives stated that the new leadership intends to reinvent the digital footprint of the long-running newsmagazine for modern vertical video platforms.
"The show itself is not going to change," said Bilton.
An anonymous CBS News executive acknowledged that traditional viewers and network staff might feel unsettled by the sudden transition.
"At the end of the day, the journalism will speak for itself," Bilton added.
In a company-wide memorandum posted on X, Bilton outlined his long-term strategic vision for the program.
"Evolving or dying isn't a threat. It's simple math," he said.
He emphasized that his responsibility extends beyond digital modernization to preserving editorial credibility.
"My responsibility is not just technological transformation. It is also our trust with the public," Bilton stated.
Former Leaders and Correspondents React
The structural changes drew immediate criticism from former leadership figures who spent decades at the flagship broadcast.
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"Leadership has decided it is time for a new chapter," said Tanya Simon, who distributed her departure message after news of her termination leaked.
"They're killing '60 Minutes,'" said former executive producer Bill Owens, who resigned last summer citing internal corporate interference.
Veteran correspondent Steve Kroft, who retired in 2019 after 30 seasons, connected the changes to political pressures facing parent company Paramount.
"Since I retired, I often wondered what would happen to '60 Minutes,'" Kroft said.
"But I never expected it would be executed by the president of the United States."
Paramount previously paid a $16 million settlement to Donald Trump over a disputed interview broadcast during the 2024 election cycle.
"There is no smoking gun," Kroft added. "But his fingerprints and DNA are all over this.
He's been making threats against '60 Minutes' and how he wanted it gone. And he finally got his wish."
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A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment on the terminations or Kroft's statements.
