CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss is poised for a major shakeup at “60 Minutes” — with layoffs slated for this summer that could engulf some of the show’s top talent and producers, The Post has learned.
The bloodbath is slated for June, a source with knowledge said. That’s after CBS News last month slashed 6% of its workforce — between 60 and 70 people — including the surprise shuttering of its 99-year-old radio division.
Insiders said the March layoffs were preceded by buyout offers at “CBS Evening News” that began hitting inboxes in late January, sparking chatter in the halls inside CBS News that the ritual will restart in the coming weeks — including at “60 Minutes.”
“They’re doing another round in June, and ’60 Minutes’ people are on the list,” an insider said.
Sources said Weiss wants to focus the storied TV news magazine more on scoops and hard-hitting investigative reporting — while downsizing what she has viewed as an excess of “soft programming” this season.
“60 Minutes is a powerhouse program, and the probing, serious high-quality journalism that is its hallmark is vital to CBS News. We’re immensely excited about its future,” a spokesperson for the network told The Post.
“Bari wants to make the show harder,” one source told The Post. “No one is talking about ‘60 Minutes’ on Monday morning.”
“She wants to put her stamp on ‘60 Minutes’ and how you do that is you either get rid of the top producer or the top correspondent,” the source added.
The 42-year-old newshound has not been impressed with “60 Minutes’” reporting this season, which has included Cecilia Vega’s interview with mentalist Oz Pearlman, who showcased his mind-reading abilities by guessing the name of Vega’s third-grade teacher.
Elsewhere, “60 Minutes” has lately done segments on chess boxing, dog-aging research and why handmade Swiss watchers are so expensive.
“Bari Weiss is not wrong to overhaul the show,” said a longtime CBS exec, who agreed that new people should be brought into the fold and that the show needs to lean into “harder reporting.”
This week, Variety reported that Weiss could replace “60 Minutes” executive producer Tanya Simon, whose year-long contract is said to be up soon. CBS insiders threw shade on that possibility, with one noting that Simon appears to have “fallen in line” with Weiss and that such a move would be tantamount to “ransacking the place.”
As previously reported by The Post, Simon is lock-step with Weiss that the show has “gone soft” and there have already been discussions to overhaul the program’s production ranks.
Scott Pelley, a regular critic of the Trump administration and his own corporate overlords, has also been discussed by higher-ups as a potential casualty, insiders said. A source with knowledge told The Post that Pelley’s contract is up next year and the company could buy him out before that.
“Scott is the face of ‘60 Minutes’ and he’s not ready to retire,” a second source said, noting that it might behoove Weiss to re-up Pelley and cut down his lofty salary, which is estimated to be between $6.9 million and $8.5 million.
What’s more, in recent weeks, it appears that Weiss has been “warming” to Pelley, according to a recent report from the Status newsletter.
As previously reported by The Post, David Ellison, CEO of CBS parent Paramount Skydance, is said to “not be happy” with Pelley’s public criticism of his corporate bosses. At a commencement speech last summer, the journo raged against President Trump and proclaimed that journalism is “under attack.”
At a recent awards ceremony, Pelley sounded off about the state of “60 Minutes,” asserting that Paramount hasn’t had any influence on its reporting. Pelley also called out Weiss for after she shelved a segment on El Salvador’s CECOT prison, saying she needed to take her job “more seriously” during an internal meeting late last year.
But without Anderson Cooper – who did not renew his “60 Minutes” contract – “60 Minutes” has few boldface names, even if the network taps Norah O’Donnell for a bigger role on the program and it adds a few segments from new hire Matt Gutman next season.
One point of consensus is that Weiss will want loyalists around her when she makes big changes to the storied news show, so that she can easily “break down silos” at the network.
Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent who did the CECOT segment, has been rumored to be in the hot seat. Her contract is up next month. Weiss has also bumped heads with Vega, sources noted.
In order to make way for the next generation, Weiss could also retire veteran correspondents Lesley Stahl, 84 and Bill Whitaker, 74, sources said.
