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“60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl described the wave of high-profile firings from the show, including fellow correspondent Scott Pelley, as the “worst experience” she’s ever faced in her career.
Stahl spoke to Puck News on Sunday after she, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim released a joint statement confirming that they would remain on the show for its upcoming 59th season. The 84-year-old veteran journalist confessed there was a level of “reluctance” to stay on their part considering they were— and still are— unsure what prompted the firings in the first place.
“It’s just been obviously the hardest chapter of my career,” Stahl said. “This was by far the worst experience I’ve been involved in, or even witnessed. I mean, firing seven people, including the entire management team over here, plus reporters and producers.”
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“60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl described a “reluctance” for her and her fellow correspondents to return after recent firings. (Jai Lennard/CBS News via Getty Images)
Stahl also described in a conversation with Puck News on Friday, the same day the statement was released, how she learned about “60 Minutes” producer Guy Campanile’s firing while he was preparing an interview for Stahl. After he was fired, Stahl described having to make the difficult choice over whether to continue with the story.
“I had to make a decision to go forward with the story, without knowing if I was going to stay or not,” Stahl said, adding that she ultimately went through with the interview that is expected to air next season.
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Despite the frustration over the firings, Stahl reiterated that she, Whitaker and Wertheim have pledged to work with new “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton to craft the new season, adding that she has already met with Bilton to make “a plea not to change anything on the Sunday night broadcast.”
Veteran CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl called the firings the “worst experience” she’s faced in her career. (Screenshot/CBS News)
“We understand that we need to do more,” she said. “We get that, and if there are good ideas on that front, fine. The Sunday night broadcast, after 60 years, and after increasing our audience this past season, in my view, shouldn’t be tampered with. It’s so not broke, so why, quote, fix it?”
Digital reached out to CBS News for comment.
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The long-running program has faced significant upheaval following the firings of producers Tanya Simon and Draggan Mihailovich, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, among others.
Veteran journalist Scott Pelley was fired after an explosive staff meeting where Pelley assailed CBS leadership. (David M. Russell/CBS via Getty Image/Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Image)
Pelley’s firing garnered significant attention last week after it followed a bitter clash between himself, Bilton and the network’s editor-in-chief Bari Weiss during a staff meeting. Digital later confirmed that Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” “60 Minutes” during the outburst.
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‘ Madison Columbo and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
