’60 Minutes’ Shakeup: CBS Show Gets New Executive Editor After Trump Lawsuit

Draggan Milahailovich
CBS News/Michele Crowe

60 Minutes continues to make shake-ups behind the scenes as CBS News veteran Draggan Mihailovich has been named the long-running show’s next executive editor.

The announcement was made on Thursday (August 21) by Tanya Simon, who previously held the executive editor role before taking over as 60 Minutes‘ new executive producer last month. Mihailovich has been a producer for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II for almost 30 years.

“Draggan is a first-rate journalist and storyteller whose pieces have been among the most memorable to air on 60 Minutes since he joined the broadcast nearly three decades ago. Whether he’s producing investigations, features or profiles of legendary athletes, he thinks big and has the highest standards. I can’t think of a better partner,” Simon said in a statement.

Mihailovich, who has earned seven Emmys and three Edward R. Murrow Awards for his work over the years, added, “This is the honor of my career. I’ve had the privilege to work with many legends inside 60 Minutes and it means a great deal to me to help usher in a new era of the broadcast under Tanya.”

The changes come after long-time exec producer Bill Owens resigned earlier this year amid President Donald Trump‘s lawsuit against CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, which has since been settled for $16 million. In a memo to staff, Owens cited corporate interference, saying, “I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it.”

Before joining 60 Minutes, Mihailovich led the Olympic research departments for CBS Sports and ABC Sports for six years. He landed at 60 Minutes in 1998, working with correspondents Steve Kroft and Bob Simon.

During his tenure at 60 Minutes, Mihailovich has produced many epic stories, leading high-stakes investigations and reporting from the frontlines of war zones. Some of his most memorable stories include his reporting on the Sudanese lost boys, the unmasking of Iraqi defector Rafid Ahmed Alwan, and an interview with Osama bin Laden’s former personal bodyguard in Yemen.

He’s also known for profiling sports stars, including international tennis star Novak Djokovic, University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball great Albert Pujols, and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps.

60 Minutes, Sundays, 7/6 c, CBS