’60 Minutes’ Ratings: Did Patrick Clancy Interview Give CBS Show a Boost?

Martin Holmes September 23, 2026, 8:40 am

What To Know

The second episode of 60 Minutes‘ 59th season saw year-over-year gains but drops from last week’s premiere.
Social media engagement for the episode hit a record 179.2 million impressions.
The show recently faced behind-the-scenes turmoil, with staff shake-ups and firings.

The second episode of 60 Minutes’ 59th season delivered both good and bad news for the long-running newsmagazine, posting year-over-year gains while falling short of the season premiere’s ratings.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, citing Nielsen data, the September 20 edition of 60 Minutes averaged 6.77 million total viewers and 1.08 million viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic. Compared to the second episode of the 2025 season, the show was up 5 percent in total viewers and up 18 percent in the demo.

The week-over-week numbers weren’t quite as positive. Total viewers dropped 15 percent from last week’s 7.94 million premiere. The drop in the demo was even larger, down 31 percent. However, last week’s premiere benefited from CBS’ NFL lead-in.

CBS News is also touting impressive social media impressions for the latest episode, totaling 179.2 million across Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok, up from the 116.7 million the week prior. Compared to last year, the social views quadrupled and set a new record for 60 Minutes.

After two episodes, the show’s numbers remain below last season’s average. The 58th season had an overall audience of 8.16 million, per Nielsen, and 1.32 million in the 25-54 demo.

Patrick Clancy Decries 'Harmful' Online Theories Following Lindsay Clancy Mistrial

The second episode featured an interview with Patrick Clancy, the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, who killed their three children. Patrick spoke publicly for the first time since a mistrial was declared in the case; Lindsay’s defense argued that she was legally insane at the time of the murders due to postpartum psychosis.

60 Minutes is under increased scrutiny following a year of behind-the-scenes turmoil and on-screen shake-ups. In May, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss fired producers Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich, and Matthew Polevoy, and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. After longtime correspondent Scott Pelley spoke out against Weiss during a heated staff meeting, he, too, was dismissed.

The official correspondent lineup for Season 59 includes returning reporters Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim, as well as Norah O’Donnell and the newly hired Ross Douthat. They’re joined by contributors Matt Gutman, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Trevor Phillips, and Ariel Levy.