Ex-CBS Scott Pelley 'deeply grateful' as he breaks silence after 60 Minutes firing

Ellie HookSun, June 7, 2026 at 9:16 AM UTC

0

Scott Pelley was fired from CBS' 60 Minutes -Credit:CBS (CBS)

Former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley has broken his social media silence since he was dropped from the long-running CBS show.

The 68-year-old took to Instagram on Saturday, June 7, to thank everyone who has supported him after he was canned by CBS last week, alongside a new smiley pic of himself.

The snap shows Pelley captaining a sailboat, with his two hands firmly grasping the steering wheel as he gleefully looks ahead. Pelley played on the nautical theme of his upload with his caption. "To all of you who have been so kind, you are the wind in my sails. So deeply grateful," he penned.

• Kaitlan Collins points out strange detail during on-air Trump's tirade against her

• Donald Trump sparks health fears as Fox News viewers spot troubling symptom

The recently-fired journalist posted the pic a few days after he was axed from CBS. Pelley's firing followed his scathing rant against the new CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting earlier this week.

In said meeting, it was reported that Pelley accused Weiss of "murdering" the news program. Weiss later said Pelley had "broken" the trust of the newsroom with his tirade.

Advertisement

"Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately, we weren't able to do so, and so we had to part ways," Weiss told CBS staffers last Wednesday, according to The New York Times.

"We did not want that to happen, but that's the path that he chose." Pelley clapped back several hours later, accusing Weiss of lying about his final meeting with her and Bilton.

"I'm saddened to see the transcript of the CBS News morning editorial meeting," Pelley admitted, before adding, "Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true. In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to 'find a way back,' as Weiss said in the editorial meeting."

He went on to claim Weiss and Bilton "refused" to answer his questions. He then listed several of those questions, including why the political commentator turned editor-in-chief of CBS News had fired several correspondents last week, which he claimed to have asked in the meeting.

Bari Weiss is the editor-in-chief at CBS News -Credit:AP

"I am pained the staff of CBS News was misled in the Wednesday morning conference call. These executives cannot gain the trust of the staff with lies. This is antithetical to everything we stand for and reveals contempt for what journalists do," his statement concluded.

In the comment section of his latest post, fans were quick to have Pelley's back. One user wrote, "Thank you for standing up to corruption and standing for truth, integrity, and democracy."

"Thank you for your continued service. Truly an American hero who will inspire others to do the same," Chelsea Handler echoed. TV doctor Dr. Terry Simpson joked, "We need to start a new show on here… 61 minutes (I'll be the medical correspondent)."

Elsewhere in the comments, someone else shared, "My family and I have always had the greatest respect for you and your remarkable journalistic integrity. It is the end of an era for us all. We are indebted to you for that and so much more. Thank you."

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”