On June 2, just days after Bilton’s appointment, the new executive producer told the staff that longtime anchor Scott Pelley was “terminated for cause effective immediately.”
“You should hear this from me first. We have parted ways with Scott Pelley,” Bilton confirmed in the memo. “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.
“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,” he lashed out at Scott.
In leaked audio recordings obtained by several news outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, Pelley was heard criticizing CBS News’ direction amid a sweeping round of high-profile firings during an introductory morning meeting for Bilton
After Bilton said Weiss “loves this institution” and “loves 60 Minutes,” Pelly responded, “She’s murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.”
The longtime host also publicly cast doubt on the qualifications of his new boss and the chief executive, per the recordings.