‘60 Minutes’ returns with new faces after CBS turmoil

CBS News’ “60 Minutes” opened its 59th season on Sunday with a new lineup and a fresh direction, but made little direct reference to the turmoil that has reshaped the long-running newsmagazine in recent months, AP reported.

The programme waited until its closing moments to acknowledge the changes. While discussing the narrow window to make artificial intelligence safe for humanity, an announcer turned to the future of journalism and “60 Minutes”.

“For almost 60 years it has meant the same thing - journalism you can trust,” the announcer said. “Where we're headed we're going to need it.”


He also said viewers would see “new faces” on the programme this season.

The changes follow a sweeping shake-up at CBS News under Bari Weiss, who has said “60 Minutes” would take a “new approach”. The revamp has included the removal of its top producer and several correspondents, as well as the appointment of a new executive producer without prior television broadcast experience.

Among the biggest departures is Scott Pelley, one of the programme’s best-known faces. Pelley was fired after a tense confrontation with CBS bosses earlier this year.

Correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were also dismissed, while Anderson Cooper left the programme voluntarily.

Pelley later made serious allegations about the network’s new leadership, saying in June that management had instructed him to “inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story”. CBS denied the accusation.

The upheaval at “60 Minutes” has been building for more than a year. The programme came under intense scrutiny after President Donald Trump sued CBS over its editing of a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

The dispute became part of a wider shake-up at CBS News after Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief by parent company Paramount late last year, following David Ellison’s arrival as the company’s corporate leader.

Weiss appointed Nick Bilton, a former technology columnist and documentarian, as “60 Minutes” executive producer earlier this year. He replaced Tanya Simon, a 30-year veteran of the programme who had held the top job for about a year.

Alfonsi’s departure followed another high-profile controversy. Weiss had abruptly pulled Alfonsi’s report on Trump administration deportees held in a Salvadoran prison, though the segment was eventually broadcast a month later.

Despite the sweeping changes, Sunday’s season premiere largely kept the focus on its journalism, leaving the programme’s behind-the-scenes upheaval to the final moments.