In the most entertaining of outcomes to so far come from Bari Weiss taking over CBS News, far-left CBS News journalist Scott Pelley has been fired over a total temper tantrum meltdown he had regarding Weiss and her leadership of the network. The scandal exploded online, causing much embarrassment for Pelley and CBS News generally.
For reference, what appears to have happened is that Pelley utterly lost it during a staff meeting at CBS News over the running of 60 Minutes, berating his boss, Nick Bilton, and accusing Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show. Bilton then fired back in a very entertaining and scathing letter in which he said that Pelley had been fired.
Posting the letter, independent journalist Michael Shellenberger said, “CBS has fired “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley, and rightly so. He betrayed journalistic principles in platforming debunked science, in being closed-minded and dogmatic, and in behaving like a pompous ass. Good riddance.”
In the letter itself, which Shellenberger included, Pelley was told, by Nick Bilton, who is the Executive Producer of 60 Minutes: “I meant what I said in my letter last week to the 60 Minutes team: joining 60 Minutes is the honor of my career and I am grateful to be working alongside the people who have contributed to the most important television journalism brand this country has ever produced.”
Continuing, Bilton said, thrashing Pelley, “While I’m new to 60 Minutes, I’ve devoted my career to investigative journalism and storytelling. I started this job excited to collaborate and to benefit from the wisdom and experience of the 60 Minutes veterans, with you among them.”
Noting how poorly Pelley had behaved, Bilton then said, “For that reason, one of the first things I did in my new role was call you to talk and invite you to dinner. It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead. Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt. I welcome a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate among the team, but this was nothing of the sort.”
Further hammering Pelley for utterly inappropriate behavior as an employee, Bilton said, “Yesterday’s performative display of hostility, enacted in front of the staff instead of in a civil, private conversation demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show, or approaching my new tenure with a mind open to collaboration and progress. I am here to deliver first-in-class news programming, not to make headlines about newsroom drama. I am eager to work alongside those who share this goal.”
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Noting that Pelley was utterly unwilling to do what it would take to be a good host on the show, Bilton then said, “Despite yesterday’s misconduct, I had hoped that in sitting down with you today we could find a path forward together. You made clear that you are not interested in such a path. Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you.”
Concluding, he noted that Pelley was being fired, saying, “I therefore write on behalf of CBS News, Inc. (“CBS) to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately. Enclosed is your formal termination letter.”
Watch the report on the matter here:
🚨 NOW: In a HUGE FAFO moment, CBS has just TERMINATED 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley’s contract, “EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY”
Pelley accused Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “MURDERING” the show and got into a heated meeting
Executive Producer fired back in a scathing letter: “Your… pic.twitter.com/magpFWa4Om
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 3, 2026
Featured image credit: By CBS News – CBS News, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34298127