Bari Weiss Reshapes ’60 Minutes’

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has launched the biggest overhaul of “60 Minutes” in years, removing several senior figures from the long-running newsmagazine and appointing former New York Times technology columnist Nick Bilton as the show’s new executive producer.

The shakeup, announced Thursday, included the departures of executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich.

Bilton, a journalist, filmmaker and former Vanity Fair contributor, becomes the first executive producer in the history of “60 Minutes” to come from outside traditional television news.

In a memo to staff, Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said the network was focused on “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.”

“That requires a new approach,” the memo said, describing plans to expand “60 Minutes” beyond its traditional Sunday-night broadcast and deepen its digital and streaming presence.

Weiss called Bilton “one of the most entrepreneurial journalists of our time and the perfect leader for one of the most entrepreneurial news brands of all time.”

Bilton later told staff: “I’m here to lead this show, not preserve it under glass.”

He added that modern audiences now consume news continuously across platforms, not just through weekly television broadcasts.

Who Is Bari Weiss?

Weiss, 42, is a Pittsburgh-born journalist who rose through the Wall Street Journal and New York Times opinion sections before becoming one of America’s most polarizing figures.

In July 2020, she resigned from the Times in a letter that went viral globally, writing: “Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor.”

She accused colleagues of bullying, the paper of self-censorship, and the industry broadly of abandoning honest intellectual debate. The letter made her a hero to one half of the American media and a target to the other.

She subsequently launched The Free Press, a Substack-based publication with more than one million subscribers, positioning it as an antidote to ideological groupthink in mainstream media.

Its model direct subscriptions, no advertisers, stated commitment to heterodox voices across the political spectrum attracted enormous readership and significant controversy in roughly equal measure.

When Paramount offered her the CBS News Editor-in-Chief role in late 2024, she accepted on the condition of genuine editorial authority. The May 28 firings are the clearest evidence yet that she has it.

Why the Shakeup Matters

The overhaul reflects broader pressure facing legacy television news organizations as audiences shift toward digital platforms, streaming video and social-media-driven news consumption.

CBS executives have increasingly emphasized transforming “60 Minutes” into a multi-platform journalism brand rather than a standalone weekly broadcast. The program remains one of the most recognizable franchises in American television news, but ratings have declined compared with a decade ago as younger audiences move away from traditional TV.

The changes also come during a turbulent period inside CBS News following Paramount’s acquisition by Skydance Media, controlled by David Ellison.

Weiss joined CBS News in late 2024 after building a large independent audience through The Free Press, the subscription-based media company she founded after leaving The New York Times in 2020.

Her arrival at CBS immediately generated debate because of her criticism of traditional media culture and her emphasis on ideological diversity and editorial independence.

Internal Tensions at ’60 Minutes’

Tensions inside “60 Minutes” had reportedly intensified over editorial decisions and the future direction of the program.

Much of the friction centered on a delayed segment involving El Salvador’s prison system and U.S. immigration policy, as reported by Sharyn Alfonsi. The report was temporarily pulled before eventually airing earlier this year, triggering internal disagreements over editorial oversight and political sensitivity.

Alfonsi later publicly criticized interference in the editorial process, while departing staff members raised concerns about the future independence of the broadcast.

The shakeup follows months of speculation about major changes at “60 Minutes” after former executive producer Bill Owens stepped down earlier this year amid disputes over editorial control.

What Comes Next

Bilton is expected to lead a broader transformation focused on digital storytelling, streaming expansion and younger audiences.

CBS executives said the goal is to evolve “60 Minutes” into a “360-degree product” that reaches audiences across television, streaming, social platforms and mobile media.

Tanya Simon, who spent more than three decades at CBS News and became executive producer last year, said in a statement: “It has been an immense privilege to lead this broadcast, and I could not be prouder of what we have built.”

CBS has not indicated whether additional staffing changes are planned ahead of the show’s 59th season.