Controversy has escalated on CBS since then 60 Minutes a reporter Scott Pelleyhe shoots.
“The behavior is bad for the whole company,” the source said exclusively Us Weekly. “Nobody knows what to believe or anyone who opposes them. It's never been like this before. The whole newsroom staff feels like they don't trust anyone. How can you work like that?”
News broke Tuesday, June 2, that Pelley, 68, has been fired from CBS and 60 Minutes after an alleged verbal altercation with the show's new producer, Nick Bilton.
Bilton, 49, reportedly stormed out of a staff meeting after Pelley told him he had “little” qualifications for his role, and questioned the future plans of the program.
According to the New York TimesPelley was also sued in private Barry Weisseditor-in-chief of the network, “to kill” 60 Minutes during the fireworks show.
“You need to hear this from me first. We have parted ways with Scott Pelley,” the memo was sent to staff and received by The Hollywood Reporter study on Tuesday. “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don't say this lightly.” I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.
In an email to Pelley obtained by NBC News, Bilton told a reporter that he “hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with bad behavior and disrespect.”
Pelley broke his silence with his firing on Wednesday, June 3.
“There has never been anything like this in America 60 Minutes,” he said in a statement. “60 has been America's best show for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality and personality in our stories.”
Pelley then accused CBS' new owners of bowing out President Donald Trump. (Skydance Media, led by David Ellisonthe son of a millionaire Larry Ellisonbought CBS parent company Paramount in a merger last year.)
“The new owner of our network is setting aside this myth, apparently to curry favor with the Trump administration,” Pelley said in a statement. “Waste hurts.”
Scott Pelley has been fired from CBS's 60 Minutes after an alleged disagreement with executive producer Nick Bilton. “You have to hear this from me first. We have parted ways with Scott Pelley,” a note distributed to CBS employees was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter in June 2026. “I know how much Scott intended […]
Pelley wrote in conclusion, “I leave after 37 years at CBS with one emotion – a heart overflowing with gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who have inspired and enriched my work, often at the risk of their own lives. I pray for the day when those people and their ideas are respected again – the day when integrity, skill and courage return.”
In accordance with Us' Internally, CBS employees have been feeling uneasy since Skydance Media's merger with Paramount Global.
“From the beginning there was a belief that the aim was to destroy the news [division] inside,” said the source, “Instead of withdrawing or disbanding the programs, they want to discredit themselves. That is exactly how the workers feel. And 200 percent believe the same will happen at CNN. ” (Paramount Skydance has been working to merge with CNN parent company Warner Brothers Discovery in a landmark $110 billion deal.)
The insider added that the alleged narrative that Pelley was “troubled and unpopular” by others at the network is “BS.”
“These are not weak people, they can deal with strong personalities,” said the source. “That's not the issue. They want to be told honestly about the changes that are happening, and that's the least they deserve.”
The insider concluded, “This is happening all over the company, but especially in the news department.”
The extra insider only tells us Us that despite the setback, some employees are looking on the bright side of the network's new name.
“Some are happy and supportive about the changes,” CBS insiders said. “And there's a recognition across the newsroom that these changes are needed.”
Us has reached out to CBS for comment.
