Scott Pelley, a renowned 60 Minutes correspondent, and Nick Bilton, the show’s new executive producer, reportedly got into a heated exchange on Monday during Bilton’s introductory meeting with his new staff. Now, Bill Owens, Pelley’s former executive producer, is defending his actions.
According to The New York Times, during Bilton’s introductory meeting, Pelley accused Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor in chief, of “murdering” 60 Minutes after several staffers and journalists were cut last week. Pelley also questioned Bilton’s TV journalism credentials, saying the tech journalist and filmmaker had “slender” qualifications.
Now, Owens, who left the show in 2025, citing a loss of journalistic independence amid CBS News settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump, is speaking out.
During the New York Press Club’s 2026 Journalism Awards, where Owens received the annual Gabe Pressman Truth to Power Award, he reportedly said that Pelley “can smell fraud a mile away” and he and the staff at 60 Minutes were proud of him.
In his remarks, Owens spoke about how he used his resignation to draw attention to what was happening at 60 Minutes and the interference he was receiving from higher-ups at that time, who were trying to see the sale of its parent company, Paramount, to Skydance Media.
He also referenced 60 Minutes’ recent dismissal of his former deputies, Tanya Simon, who took over after he left, and Draggan Mihailovich; producer Guy Campanile; and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
Owens said they were fired by people who didn’t care about the culture at 60 Minutes. He also spoke about the dismissal of CBS News London bureau chief Claire Day, saying that one reason for her dismissal was that she secured visas for her team to report from Tehran, which the new leadership team in New York considered a “bad look.”
CBS News didn’t respond to a request for comment regarding Owens’ remarks.
