Unemployment looks good on former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley, who took to Instagram on Saturday to thank his fans for their support after the program’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, fired him after an explosive confrontation.
“To all of you who have been so kind, you are the wind in my sails. So deeply grateful,” Pelley wrote, along with a photo of him looking elated at the helm of his sailboat.
Pelley, a well-respected veteran of “60 Minutes,” was fired from the newsmagazine after he lashed out at Bilton during a staff meeting on May 25. He reportedly told the former NYT technology columnist that he had “slender qualifications” to steer the ship at “60 Minutes.” Bilton was inserted into leadership by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, whom Pelley accused of “murdering” the show during the same meeting.
Shortly after reports of the spat went public, Bilton released a letter revealing that Pelley and CBS leadership failed to find common ground, and that Pelley was fired from “60 Minutes.”
“Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,” Bilton wrote. “And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated effective immediately.”
Hours later, Pelley fired back with his own letter: “For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done.”
Bilton was tasked to run the show after a bombshell announcement from Weiss, who fired longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. “60 Minutes” has been under intense scrutiny since Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison named Weiss as top brass at CBS News. Some have accused Weiss of trying to infect one of the most respected brands in broadcast news with political bias.