Scott Pelley Calls Out Paramount On '60 Minutes' For Caving To Pressure From Trump

60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley shared a tribute to Bill Owens, who resigned as the program's executive producer last week amid pressure from President Donald Trump and ultimately the extra oversight imposed by Paramount Global after the company capitulated to the Trump administration's demands.

Owens announced his resignation from the storied news program, claiming the show had lost its journalistic independence.

In a memo to staffers, he said he decided to step down because “over the past 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.”

Pelley delivered his on-air rebuke as Paramount, under Shari Redstone’s leadership, pushes to finalize a high-stakes merger with Skydance Media.

The deal still needs regulatory approval, including sign-off from the Trump administration, and 60 Minutes’ handling of politically sensitive stories—along with Trump’s hostility toward the show—could be viewed as a liability by corporate leaders focused on getting the merger across the finish line.

Pelley said:

"He was our boss. Bill was with CBS News nearly 40 years, 26 years at 60 Minutes. He covered the world, covered combat, the White House. His was a quest to open minds, not close them."

"If you’ve ever worked hard for a boss because you admired him, then you understand what we’ve enjoyed here. Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us. But he did it for us and you."

"Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial. Lately, the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair. He was tough that way. But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger."

"The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires. No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing. He was the right person to lead '60 Minutes' all along."

You can hear what he said in the video below.

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Many appreciated Pelley's tributes and called out Paramount and the Trump administration themselves.

Trump was called out earlier this month after sharing his displeasure on Truth Social over 60 Minutes and directing Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to revoke CBS's broadcasting license.

Trump’s remarks came after 60 Minutes aired segments on Ukraine and Greenland, both of which the president claimed portrayed him negatively. While the exact trigger for his anger remains unclear, both segments included foreign leaders criticizing Trump.

Trump also pointed to his October lawsuit against CBS News as further evidence of what he claims is media bias. The suit targets a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which aired just before the 2024 election. Trump claims the segment was deceptively edited to make Harris look good, accusing the network of stacking the deck in her favor during a critical campaign moment.

Trump’s calls to yank broadcasters’ licenses are nothing new. He made the same demand last year after ABC hosted his debate with Harris—an event widely seen as a win for the vice president. Trump and his allies cried foul, accusing moderators of grilling him with fact-checks while giving Harris a pass.