Pelley fired from ‘60 Minutes,’ CBS chaos continues

After a contentious meeting with the new boss, longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired by CBS News on Tuesday. It’s the latest example of rancor at the network since Bari Weiss took over its news division late last year.Here’s the ticktock of how it went down:Weiss installed Nick Bilton, a tech journalist and filmmaker who has the same amount of broadcast news experience as you (probably), as the show’s executive producer last week.Pelley reportedly accused Weiss of “murdering” the show during Bilton’s first staff meeting on Monday and later released a statement saying Bilton’s hiring was an attempt to “curry a moment of favor” with the Trump administration.The public clash between Pelley and Bilton follows accusations of politically-motivated meddling lobbed at Weiss after she delayed a 60 Minutes segment on Venezuelans being deported to prison in El Salvador last year.After Weiss told CBS News staff she looked for a “way back” following a meeting with Pelley, the jettisoned anchor released a statement describing Bilton, Weiss, and other executives he met with as “openly hostile.”On background: Pelley’s ouster, along with several other recent high-profile terminations and departures from 60 Minutes, come as CBS parent company Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery finalize a $110 billion merger that will need FCC approval.If this sounds familiar….…that’s understandable. Last year’s Paramount-Skydance merger was only OK’d by the FCC after CBS settled a lawsuit by President Trump against 60 Minutes, which was seen by some critics as a way of placating Trump. Not long after, Trump ally and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison hired Weiss.What’s next? The attention turns to Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker, who have been with CBS News since 1971 and 1984, respectively, and are the last remaining stalwarts remaining from 60 Minutes. “I think they feel like if they leave, there’s nothing left of 60,’” one insider told Variety.—DL