’60 Minutes’ drama as top producer quits CBS, citing a threat to his independence
President Donald Trump is suing CBS and "60 Minutes" for $20 billion, and parent company Paramount is hoping to secure a merger deal with Skydance.
Is President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS having an impact on 60 Minutes, the most-watched newsmagazine on TV? The show’s executive producer appears to think so.
Bill Owens, who joined 60 Minutes in 2003 and was named executive producer in 2019, announced his departure from the celebrated news show Tuesday, citing a threat to the independence he had enjoyed during his tenure.
In a note to staff obtained by The Inquirer, Owens said that over the last few months, it has “become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience.”
“So having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward."
The New York Times was first to report on Owens’ departure.
Owens didn’t specify in the memo how the show’s independence was being threatened. Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News and Stations, wrote the network is “committed to 60 Minutes and to ensuring that the mission and the work remain our priority.”
Owens’ departure comes as CBS faces a $20 billion lawsuit from President Donald Trump over how the network edited a portion of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris into a shorter response that was shown on Face the Nation.
Trump claims the show edited the clip to make Harris look better ahead of the 2024 election. CBS has denied the president’s allegations, writing in an October statement that the interview “was not doctored.” Media critics have universally denounced the lawsuit as an attempt by Trump to exert power over an independent news organization.
“Then-candidate Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News over a ’60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris is outrageous, unprecedented and threatens to shake the core of American journalism,” wrote UCLA law instructor Alex Alben.
Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is currently in mediation with Trump to settle the issue, the Times has reported, though the lawsuit could still end up going to court. Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone is also hoping to finalize a deal to sell the company to Skydance, which would require the approval of the Trump administration.
As recently as last week, Trump called on the Federal Communications Commission to punish 60 Minutes over news reports unflattering to his administration. Trump was responding to two segments — one focused on the president’s desire to take control of Greenland, and one featuring an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the U.S. pushes for a peace deal with Russia.
“President Trump, being a strong president of a strong country, must be on Ukraine’s side,” Zelensky said. “I think it is wrong that America wants to be neutral.”
So far, no 60 Minutes correspondents have announced they are leaving the show, and McMahon said conversations with the program’s staff and senior leaders about Owens’ departure are underway.
“He has championed the kind of journalism that informs, enlightens, and often changes the national conversation,” McMahon said of Owens. “His dedication to finding and nurturing talent will be felt across CBS News for years.”