In a legendary moment on live TV, “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley pushed back at his bosses at Paramount during a tribute to his colleague, executive producer Bill Owens, who reportedly resigned from the show due to Paramount’s major interference with segments.
For context, during a live broadcast of “60 Minutes” on April 27, 2025, longtime host Scott Pelley went off the script to push back at Paramount, the parent company above CBS and “60 Minutes,” arguing that his recently departed colleague had resigned because he felt that it was impossible to make creative decisions based on “what was right” due to Paramount’s interference.
In a memo obtained by Fox News, Bill Owens reportedly made it clear that Paramount was making his role on “60 Minutes” untenable. Owens wrote, “Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience,”
Continuing, Owens explained that he was stepping back from the show, saying, “So, having defended this show – and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.” In response, Scott Pelley said that Owens had resigned “for us and you,” referring to the show’s audience.
Following Owens’ resignation, Scott Pelley grieved his departure on air, saying, “Bill was with CBS News nearly 40 years, 26 years at ’60 Minutes,'” Pelley said. “He covered the world, covered combat, the White House. His was a quest to open minds, not close them. If you’ve ever worked hard for a boss because you admired them, then you understand what we’ve enjoyed here.”
Moving on, Pelley went on to openly call out Paramount, saying, “Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it.” He added, “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 required.”
Owens’ resignation comes at a time when Paramount is reportedly embroiled in a legal battle with the Trump Administration, which alleged that a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris was a form of election interference. When CBS expressed that they were considering settling, CNN Host Jake Tapper was reportedly extremely critical, saying, “It seems as if [majority owner of Paramount] Shari Redstone is likely to bend the knee to Trump and settle this allegedly frivolous lawsuit.”
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Furthermore, President Trump wrote a brutal Truth Social post regarding the lawsuit, saying, “I am so honored to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting. They did everything possible to illegally elect Kamala, including completely and corruptly changing major answers to Interview questions, but it just didn’t work for them.”
Watch Scott Pelley defend his former colleague:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video