CBS revamps "60 Minutes" under new ownership, prompting staff departures and speculation of rival news venture

CBS has undertaken a major restructuring of its flagship newsmagazine "60 Minutes" after the network was acquired by David Ellison's Skydance Media. Under Ellison and opinion columnist Bari Weiss, longtime correspondents including Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfannon, Cecilia Vega and senior producers were dismissed or reassigned. The changes have been described by former staff as a shift toward hiring commentators with a more contrarian perspective.

The network reported a 9% increase in viewership for the 2025-2026 season and over 2.5 billion social-media video views, but executives chose to overhaul the program’s editorial team. Weiss has been reported to have blocked several investigative pieces, including a report on El Salvador’s CECOT prison and a segment on Jeffrey Epstein’s financial connections, prompting CBS to cite editorial timing as the reason for the delays.

Former executive producer Bill Owens, who left CBS in 2025, is reportedly developing a pitch for a new investigative newsmagazine and seeking roughly $50 million in funding. The proposed venture could involve former "60 Minutes" staff such as Anderson Cooper and other producers who resigned in protest.

Ellison’s broader media strategy includes an $8 billion acquisition of Paramount and a proposed $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which would bring CNN under his control. After the Department of Justice cleared the merger, several state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America filed antitrust lawsuits. In a recent opinion piece, Ellison pledged editorial independence for his news outlets.

"We are committed to maintaining independent newsrooms," Ellison wrote in the New York Times.

The restructuring has sparked debate about the future of investigative journalism at CBS and the potential emergence of a competing news program.