Top '60 Minutes' producer resigns from show, cites lack of independence
Top "60 Minutes" producer Bill Owens abruptly resigned from the program on Tuesday, saying he no longer had sufficient independence to run the program how he wanted.
"Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it," he wrote in a memo to staff obtained by Fox News Digital. "To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. So, having defended this show- and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.
"The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer."
The news comes as "60 Minutes" and CBS are embroiled in a $20 billion lawsuit launched by President Donald Trump over the show's interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris on the show last year. The network aired different parts of Harris' response to a question about Israel on separate nights, leading Trump to accuse CBS of election interference.
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Trump has said CBS should lose its broadcast license and accused it of "fraudulent" reporting.
Owens' comment about losing independence appeared to allude to the Trump suit hanging over the network. According to the New York Times, which first reported on Owens' resignation, Owens said earlier this year that he would not apologize for the Harris segment as part of any settlement with the president.
CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is reportedly in favor of settling with the president.
Many media observers don't want CBS to settle the suit, which critics have called a hyperbolic reaction to a typical editing decision.
CBS News President Wendy McMahon praised Owens in a message to staff on Tuesday and indicated his replacement would be from within the CBS family. Owens was only the third executive producer in the history of the show, which debuted in 1968.
"As Executive Producer, Bill has led 60 Minutes with unwavering integrity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the truth," she wrote. "He has championed the kind of journalism that informs, enlightens, and often changes the national conversation. His dedication to finding and nurturing talent will be felt across CBS News for years."
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS News representatives for additional comment.
Trump's legal entanglements with media organizations are nothing new.
ABC settled a defamation lawsuit in December with then-President-elect Trump for $15 million, after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asserted Trump had been found "liable for rape" in a civil trial last year.
Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.