Comedian and television host Bill Maher said he supports the ouster of longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley, rejecting claims that President Trump is responsible for recent changes at CBS News. "What does the panel think of the recent shakeup at '60 Minutes'?" Maher asked guests Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice on a Friday night segment of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" before answering his own question: "I'm for it."
CBS News fired Pelley after almost 30 years on the show following a heated exchange with new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting, where he reportedly said Bilton was unqualified to lead the program and accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of trying to "murder" the show. The firing came amid sweeping changes at CBS News under Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison, a Trump ally who tapped Weiss to lead the network's transformation.
What the Right Is Saying
Maher said he "never liked" Pelley and that personnel changes are common when companies undergo new leadership. "I just don't think being a '60 Minutes' correspondent is that hard," Maher said. "I don't feel like Scott Pelley was a national treasure." He added: "Companies change hands, people bring in their own people, their new ownership."
Maher also expressed frustration with viewing events through partisan lenses. "I feel like we see everything through such a partisan lens," he said on the program. Trump celebrated Pelley's ouster, calling the veteran journalist "terrible" and saying "Scott Pelley's a stiff and he's afraid, and he's part of this, you know, gang of crooked, stupid people that don't care about our country." Weiss told CBS News staff that the decision to fire Pelley stemmed from a breach of trust: "I'm only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect; we cannot do our work without it. That foundation was broken," she said.
What the Left Is Saying
Sen. Chris Murphy argued that Trump is using his power as president to influence major media companies, including CBS parent company Paramount Skydance. "You're watching a censorship state be created," he said on the program. "Trump is using the powers that he has available as president of the United States to install only friendly ownership at the big media companies."
When Maher pushed back on the characterization, Murphy conceded that the network has not become "completely MAGA," but said the president is "clearly intent on installing people who will tell his story and keep his critics off air." Weiss faced widespread blowback after abruptly pulling a planned "60 Minutes" segment on El Salvador's infamous CECOT prison holding migrants deported by Trump, because it lacked on-the-record comments from the administration.
What the Numbers Show
CBS News has undergone significant leadership changes under new ownership. Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of CBS parent company Paramount Global last year, with David Ellison—the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison and a Trump ally—leading the new structure. Pelley had been with "60 Minutes" for nearly 30 years before his termination. The network's editorial direction has shifted under Bari Weiss, who previously served as an editor at The New York Times before becoming CBS News Editor-in-Chief.
The Bottom Line
The "60 Minutes" shakeup highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and major media outlets. While critics like Murphy argue the president is using his position to reshape the media landscape in his favor, supporters of the changes—including Maher—frame them as routine corporate restructuring under new ownership. Weiss's leadership continues to face scrutiny over editorial decisions, including the pulled El Salvador segment. What remains clear is that CBS News is navigating significant change as Paramount Skydance implements its vision for the network.