As the current season of 60 Minutes draws to a close, staff at the CBS newsmagazine are bracing for significant upheaval under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Despite the show drawing 10.1 million viewers for a recent episode and remaining the most-watched news programme of the broadcast season, insiders predict major alterations when the 59th season begins.
Weiss, a controversial opinion writer, took the helm after Skydance Media completed its acquisition of CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, in August 2025. One network insider said to expect “massive changes” after the season ends on 17 May, though the format and award-winning mission are not expected to be overhauled. Layoffs are widely anticipated, with one staffer expressing concern that Weiss would damage the show “just like she has done with everything else at CBS News”.
Correspondent Anderson Cooper announced his departure in February, and Sharyn Alfonsi, a prominent correspondent, strongly suggested she is likely to be fired. Speaking at the National Press Club, Alfonsi decried “the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear” at the network, following the shelving of her December segment about deportations to El Salvador. Weiss had argued the piece needed to rework to convey the administration’s perspective.
Alfonsi’s potential exit has sparked fears of a chilling effect. A former correspondent said they would struggle to know “what stories can you even suggest at the risk of alienating the powers that be”. A source close to the network pushed back on the notion that certain stories are off limits. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour also voiced concern about the “ideological realignment” of CBS News and “the destruction, potentially, of 60 Minutes”.
