CBS News Is Rebuilding "60 Minutes": A Super Simple Explainer

What Is "60 Minutes" and Why Is It Changing?

"60 Minutes" is a famous TV news show where reporters (called correspondents – people who go out and tell you the news) share in-depth stories.

The new season (2026‑27) starts in just two months, but some longtime reporters have left. CBS News bosses are now deciding who will replace them.

Who Left?

• Scott Pelley – fired after arguing with bosses.
• Sharon Alfonsi – let go earlier.
• Cecilia Vega – let go earlier.
• Anderson Cooper – chose not to renew his contract (though there’s more to the story below).

Who Might Be the New Faces?

CBS is looking at many people. Here are the possible new correspondents:

• Seth Doane: A reporter based in Italy who often appears on "CBS Sunday Morning."
• Jim Axelrod: The chief investigative correspondent (meaning he leads deep‑dive stories) and currently helps with "Eye On America" on the "CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil."
• Trevor Phillips: A British journalist and former politician who just joined CBS as a senior global affairs correspondent. People briefed on the plan say he will likely be on the show. He used to host a Sky News program and had a long career making documentaries.
  • Good note: He was made a knight in 2022 for helping with equality and human rights in the U.K.
  • Controversy note: He also got in trouble for comments about the British Muslim community, which led to a one‑year suspension from the Labour Party (a political party) in 2020.
• Matt Gutman: Hired from ABC News last year as a national correspondent. He is being shown to test audiences (regular viewers who give feedback) right now.
• Holly Williams: A foreign correspondent working from Istanbul since 2012.
• Mariana van Zeller: A journalist from the National Geographic Channel.

Note: A CBS News spokesperson declined to say more, only that they are looking at both inside and outside candidates.

People Already Expected to Help

• Tony Dokoupil (current "CBS Evening News" anchor) will make four "60 Minutes" stories each season.
• Major Garrett, the top Washington correspondent, will be a contributor.
• Trevor Phillips (mentioned above) is expected to have a role.

Returning Familiar Faces

The new folks will join these returning correspondents:

• Bill Whitaker
• Lesley Stahl
• Jon Wertheim
• Norah O’Donnell (she also stays as senior correspondent and will occasionally host specials)

Why Did the Old Team Leave? (The Upheaval)

The changes happened after Bari Weiss became the editor‑in‑chief (the boss of news content) at CBS News in October.

The Firings and Departures – Step by Step

1. May 28: CBS dismissed Sharon Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, plus executive producer Tanya Simon and her deputy Draggan Mihailovich.
2. Last month (around June): Scott Pelley was fired after he confronted management about those dismissals at a June 1 meeting. He had accused Weiss of trying to "murder" the show and unfairly favoring the Trump administration (putting "her thumb on the scale"). He was fired "with cause" (meaning they say he broke rules).
3. February: Anderson Cooper decided not to sign a new deal. He said he wanted more family time, but also reportedly told coworkers he didn’t want to work for Weiss.

A Successful Show Despite Chaos

Before the turmoil, "60 Minutes" had a great year:

• Its 57th season was the most‑watched news program on TV.
• It had about 9.1 million viewers each week (counted by Nielsen, a company that measures TV audiences).
• While most TV watching went down, this show grew by 9% over the previous season.

The Bigger CBS News Story (Bari Weiss and Politics)

• Weiss joined CBS when its parent company Paramount bought her website, The Free Press (which often criticizes progressive/left‑leaning policies and supports Israel).
• Paramount’s CEO David Ellison hired her to move CBS News to the "political center" (more neutral or moderate).
• Because Paramount is trying to get government permission to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion (which would also own CNN), some think CBS is trying to please the Trump administration to get that approval.
• This drama has hurt CBS’s reputation, even though they still do fair reporting (like a recent story about the military newspaper’s independence).

Important Callout: Not all CBS news is biased! For example, a segment on "CBS Sunday Morning" by David Martin showed the Defense Department interfering with a military newspaper called Stars & Stripes. That’s not pro‑Trump (pro‑MAGA) at all.

• Also, President Trump complained loudly about his last interview with Norah O’Donnell on "60 Minutes," which happened the day after a gunman tried to enter a White House reporters’ dinner (the White House Correspondents Association dinner) in Washington on April 25.

Summary

In short, "60 Minutes" is getting a makeover for its 2026‑27 season. Longtime reporters like Pelley, Alfonsi, Vega, and Cooper are gone. CBS is considering new reporters like Seth Doane, Jim Axelrod, Trevor Phillips, Matt Gutman, Holly Williams, and Mariana van Zeller. The changes come after Bari Weiss took charge and shook up the program, leading to firings and accusations of political bias. But the show remains popular and still produces strong, independent journalism.

FAQ

Q1: What is a "correspondent"?
A: Think of a correspondent as a TV reporter who goes out and tells you the news from different places – like a classroom helper who reports stories to everyone.

Q2: Why was Scott Pelley fired?
A: He argued with his bosses after they fired his coworkers. He also publicly said the new boss, Bari Weiss, was hurting the show and being too nice to Trump. The company says he was fired for cause after a confrontation on June 1.

Q3: Will Anderson Cooper be on "60 Minutes" next season?
A: No, he chose not to renew his contract. He said he wanted family time, but also reportedly didn’t want to work under Bari Weiss.

Q4: Who is Bari Weiss?
A: She is the new editor‑in‑chief of CBS News. She used to run a website called The Free Press, which Paramount bought. She was hired to make CBS News more politically centered.

Q5: Is "60 Minutes" still popular?
A: Yes! Last season it had about 9.1 million weekly viewers and grew 9% while other TV shows lost viewers.