Scott Pelley has spoken out about getting fired from CBS’s 60 Minutes. In a recent interview, the journalist and author shared his side of the story. He complained that he had not received any formal reason for the mass layoffs.
Scott Pelley talks about moments before he got fired
Scott Pelley was fired from CBS’s 60 Minutes on June 2, after almost four decades with the network. Speaking with The New York Times, the journalist opened up about the shocking dismissal. He got candid about the “Black Thursday massacre,” which saw the termination of the “entire” senior staff at 60 Minutes, which included Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
“The night before, Tanya [Simon] and I were at the Emmy Awards, and we won two Emmys,” Pelley recalled. “Within hours, all of those people have been wiped out, and one-third of our correspondents have been fired. At the same moment, we are informed of our new executive producer.”
“His name is Nick Bilton,” Pelley added. “I’m sure he must be a wonderful man, but no one had ever heard of him. He has zero experience in television news and no experience in management. So imagine how we feel when someone like that comes into a shop like 60 Minutes,” he continued.
On June 2, Pelley reportedly accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of trying to “murder” CBS’s 60 Minutes. The network laid off the longtime correspondent, following the tense exchange.
Pelley shared his reaction to the news, saying, “Shock, dismay, impossible to believe, searching desperately for an explanation, knowing that an explanation would be forthcoming and then not seeing that.” He added, “No executive at CBS News, our editor in chief, Bari Weiss, coming over to explain, to talk with us, to sit with us.”
Pelley got emotional sharing the close relationship he has formed with his colleagues over the decades. “My colleagues and I have worked together 10, 20, 30 years,” he said. “So, these bonds are pretty tight, and when somebody wipes out, murders a large number of your family members, people are desperate for some explanation, and as you and I sit here today, there still has been none.”
