’60 Minutes’ Fans Are Furious at Bari Weiss Over Controversial New Hires
What To Know
- CBS News announced several new hires for 60 Minutes, including Ross Douthat as correspondent and three new contributors.
- Viewers took to social media to criticize the picks made under Bari Weiss’ leadership.
Under the leadership of CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, new faces will be featured on 60 Minutes when it returns in September. On July 28, the network announced that Ross Douthat will be joining as the show’s new correspondent alongside Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Noah O’Donnell, who has been promoted to full correspondent.
It was also confirmed that Sebastian Junger, a writer, Gianna Toboni, a former correspondent for VICE, and Trevor Phillips, the former host of Sky News in the UK, will be joining as contributors. This news comes following the firing of Scott Pelley in June, along with the controversial exits of Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Anderson Cooper left the program in May, as well.
Fans of the program reacted to news of Weiss’ new hires on social media. The hiring of Douthat, a New York Times opinion columnist with no reporting background and limited on-camera experience, according to Status, has sparked the biggest response.
Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images
“Congratulations. You’ve killed 60 Minutes. I’ve been watching since the 70’s but not anymore,” one person wrote on X. Someone else wrote, “Gotta say -Ross really has a face and voice just built for print! Oh wait…and he’s an opinion writer, not a journalist. Proof objectivity is gone.”
Another commenter addressed Weiss directly, writing, “Jesus. An institution destroyed. Haven’t turned it on since Pelly was fired… watched it religiously for 40 years. @bariweiss is doing the opposite of making good TV. Pretty amazing.” Another agreed, adding, “60 minutes was a Sunday evening staple in our home for many years. Haven’t watched since they pulled the CECOT. Will not watch again until Bari Weiss is fired!”
Weiss began her tenure as CBS News’ editor-in-chief in October 2025 and has spent the last nine months implementing changes across most of the network’s programming. Ratings for both CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings have declined in recent months.
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B
Horrible. She is destroying 60 Minutes which has been an institution for years. #boycottCBS. #boycott60Minutes
We will not watch again until Bari Weiss is fired!”
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B
You can't destroy something twice...
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G
Basically, Weiss is thumbing her nose at everyone and not giving a damn for public opinion. What was once a great show has now turned into something unrecognizable. She needs ti go the way of the DoDo bird
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B
Once great. About 20 years ago. If it was still great, she wouldn't be there. Obviously.
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W
Haven't watched CBS anything since Wise decided to go all natzi trump in..
Totally disgusting what us happening to a once proud institution.
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J
It is not the “fans” that should concern her. It is those of us who have dropped the program entirely from our projected schedules. To be more precise, all programming from CBS has vanished from my schedule. And quite frankly, I can’t identify what it would take to change my mind.
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J
From VICE??? They have a correspondent from VICE? It's possible that this person could be a good journalist (heaven knows that people have to start somewhere), but still.... On paper it doesn't look good.
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S
Pretty sure her job IS to destroy 60 minutes or turn it into a cheap, right-leaning, caricature of what it once was.
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W
In over 50 years I rarely missed 60 minutes. What a shame to destroy an iconic institution. 60 minutes stories can no longer be trusted as the truth. Not only have I stopped watching 60 mins. But I stopped watching CBS.
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B
I doubt there's any saving it. And frankly, why bother trying??
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B
My family members, friends and I have watched 60 minutes for decades for reliable honest, factual news. Unfortunately, we no longer watch since the firings of reliable reporters under the MAGA Bari Weiss lack of honest reporting takeover. As Scott Pelly stated, she has dismantled and destroyed reliable honest reporting.
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S
Can't wait to hear what opinion columnist Douthat and writer Junger have to say about topics such as "election fraud", "free and fair elections" and how the Iran war is really going well. Ugh. Apparently, Weiss doesn't have the common sense to hire actual reporters. Only bad things can happen when incompetents hire other incompetents for positions they are unqualified for. Look at the country presently and need I say more. Just embarrassing.
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G
Best News broadcast ever…..let’s change it…genius!!! LOL
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G
Will never watch 60 minutes again after what they did to the greatest journalist they fired.I also can't believe the journalist remaining did not stand together. WHAT GO'S AROUND COMES AROUND!! AND I YOU SEE IT SOON.
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D
Mission accomplished!
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D
I am with you. CBS has become an undernourished Fox News. Just let it die already.
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S
Looking at a new cable package, but may go antenna for networks instead of paying for them. There is no point in CBS except occasional NFL and basketball games.
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M
They know EXACTLY what they’re doing! They are making it a one sided right wing supposed “investigative” journalism show. Look who bought CBS? They got the merger approved from Trump by getting rid of Colbert!!! This country is screwed! Ruined the very best honest news program that has exposed corruption! Mike Wallace is rolling in his grave!
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T
This is maga version of DEI. She is totally unqualified
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Y
Agreed, they are standing on the anti woke platform but continue to do anti woke things like hiring people with no relative experience to try different things/voices. Plus most of her hires let's say have a similar background....
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S
Actually, we're highly supportive. She has a chance to lend it credibility. After years of becoming a partisan show it badly needed this refresh.
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S
Lend it credibility? That's laughable. These reporters who were axed have said they were told by Weiss to soften stories concerning the Right and report on stories where the facts were not verified. Are you serious? Let's be honest here. All these changes are about Weiss putting an opinion columnist and a writer, not actual reporters, on the show so they can tell us things like the economy is great and the war is not so bad. This show had people who just told the hard truths which Conservatives apparently have a hard time hearing. The "refresh" will be hearing the nonsense that's going to be "reported" come September.
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P
Its been unwatchable for years.
The new staff can only be better.
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S
"You destroyed 60 minutes!" wrote SOMEONE on X. Haha. Give me a break. You call that real reporting? I'm not a fan of Barry Weiss, but I'm willing to atleast wait and see how this turns out. And she did the absolute right thing in getting rid of Jew-hating Cecilia Vega and pompous Scott Pelley. Grow up.
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S
I guess "real reporting" is asking reporters to not verify facts and truth in a story because then the Right justifibly doesn't look so good. Give ME a break. Vega and Pelley stood for truth and honesty in their stories which I know most of the time is a hard pill for the Right to swallow. Seriously? Weiss hired a writer and a Conservative opinion columnist instead of actual professional reporters. I'm pretty sure how this is going to work out considering what I've seen with the same kind of people running this country
and it doesn't look promising. Talk about growing up.
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