CBS News fires '60 Minutes' correspondents, top producer in sweeping shakeup of storied program
CBS News fired "60 Minutes" correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, along with the program’s executive producer Tanya Simon, on Thursday as the network's editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shakes up the storied newsmagazine.
Executive editor Draggan Mihailovich was also let go after nearly 30 years with the program, as well as another producer, Matthew Polevoy, according to reports.
Alfonsi, who joined "60 Minutes" in 2015, lashed out at Weiss last year when the polarizing news chief delayed her segment about allegations of abuses at the El Salvador prison CECOT. Alfonsi insisted it was held for political rather than editorial reasons and blasted Weiss in a memo to colleagues.
On Wednesday, Alfonsi announced that her contract for "60 Minutes" expired after her agent’s attempts to negotiate were ignored by CBS News leadership.
"Following an intense editorial dispute over our CECOT story, repeated attempts by my representation to establish a path forward were met with absolute silence from network executives. The message could not be clearer: my time at ‘60 Minutes’ is apparently over," Alfonsi said on Wednesday.
"In the coming days, network leadership may attempt to hide behind corporate euphemisms like ‘modernization’ and ‘restructuring’ to explain away my departure. Don't be misled," she continued.
Alfonsi technically remained an employee of the network until Thursday morning, when she was fired.
'60 MINUTES' CORRESPONDENT LAMBASTS 'CORPORATE MEDDLING' AT CBS, ADMITS SHE COULD BE FIRED
Vega joined "60 Minutes" in 2023 after 12 years at ABC News, where she served as the network’s chief White House correspondent.
Remaining "60 Minutes" correspondents include Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim. Anderson Cooper previously announced his departure from "60 Minutes" as a correspondent in February after nearly two decades.
Simon, a 26-year veteran of "60 Minutes" and daughter of the late CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, was tapped as the program's executive producer last July after her predecessor Bill Owens resigned in protest of what he alleged was corporate meddling, as parent company Paramount prepared to settle President Donald Trump's lawsuit involving the program's Kamala Harris election interview.
CBS, BARI WEISS FACING MOUNTING BACKLASH FROM LIBERAL CRITICS OVER YANKING '60 MINUTES' SEGMENT
Taking Simon's place is Nick Bilton, a documentary filmmaker and a former New York Times columnist. Bilton is the fifth executive producer in "60 Minutes" history, and the first to lack linear TV experience.
"The reality facing journalism in 2026 is not easy. Information is fragmented. Algorithms reward outrage. AI-generated misinformation is proliferating. Audiences are overwhelmed. And they have lost trust in legacy media. That reality makes the mission of 60 Minutes more important than ever," Weiss told staffers in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
"We want stories that break news, expose wrongdoing, widen public understanding, and force accountability from every institution and every center of power," she continued. "We want journalism that is surprising, agenda-setting, and impossible to ignore."
CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said hiring Bilton "represents a deliberate vision for 60 Minutes to go beyond an hour on Sunday evenings to become a 360-degree product that reaches audiences wherever they consume information."
Weiss, who was named editor-in-chief of CBS News in October after her outlet, The Free Press, was acquired by new Paramount CEO David Ellison, continues to put her stamp on the network. The decision to shake up "60 Minutes" is seen as a risky move as the iconic program is regularly among the most-watched news programs on television.
Weiss also overhauled "CBS Evening News" by tapping Tony Dokoupil as its new anchor.