Days after his firing at CBS, Scott Pelley details his final moments at 60 Minutes.
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While speaking with The New York Times, Pelley opened up about the days leading up to his heated argument with the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton. He noted that no one expected the “Black Thursday massacre,” which saw the “entire” senior staff at 60 Minutes being fired.
“The night before, Tanya [Simon] and I were at the Emmy Awards, and we won two Emmys,” he recalled. “Within hours, all of those people have been wiped out, and one-third of our correspondents have been fired. At the same moment, we are informed of our new executive producer.”
“I’m sure he must be a wonderful man,” Pelley said about Bilton. “But no one had ever heard of him. He has zero experience in television news and no experience in management. So imagine how we feel when someone like that comes into a shop like 60 Minutes.“
Days after the “Black Thursday massacre,” Pelley and Bilton argued. During the confrontation, Pelley allegedly accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of trying to “murder” 60 Minutes.
Pelley reflected on his initial reaction to being fired. “Shock, dismay, impossible to believe,” he explained. “Searching desperately for an explanation, knowing that an explanation would be forthcoming, and then not seeing that. No executive at CBS News, our editor in chief, Bari Weiss, coming over to explain, to talk with us, to sit with us.”
He also pointed out that he and his colleagues had been together anywhere between 10 and 30 years. “So, these bonds are pretty tight, and when somebody wipes out, murders a large number of your family members, people are desperate for some explanation, and as you and I sit here today, there still has been none.”
Weiss Addressed Pelley’s “Unfortunate” Firing
Before Pelley’s interview was published, Weiss had addressed his “unfortunate” firing.
“I hope I speak, I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it,” she told CBS News employees. “That foundation was broken on Monday, and despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately, we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways.”
She claimed that she and the higher-ups did not want Pelley to be fired. However, that was the “path” he had chosen.
Meanwhile, Pelley quickly spoke out against Weiss’ statement, saying she knew it wasn’t true.