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.
And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes. We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
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— 60 Minutes ( @60minutes.bsky.social) April 27, 2025 at 8:38 PM
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Many appreciated Pelley's tributes and called out Paramount and the Trump administration themselves.
When we all look back at this period, the most challenging question to answer will be why no one did a thing to stop the descent into fascism. I struggle a lot with how a once-admired nation elected a convicted felon with fascist tendencies a second time.
— Sura Mbaya ( @surambaya.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Tell us more about Shari Redstone… another corporate hack willing to shred our constitutional rights so she can make more money. No peace for Shari or her family. EVER. Move somewhere else, you ghoul.
— pgreenkc.bsky.social ( @pgreenkc.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Excellent, until the last sentence placing Bill Owens in the past tense as the best 60 minutes leader for those times ! Fact: Bill Owens as the best leader for these times. Now the world will wait to see if any members of the 60 Minutes program have courage and integrity and decency.
— spotandmae.bsky.social ( @spotandmae.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Major props to the 60 Minutes team for speaking truth to power. Love this show. #dontbendtheknee
— Judy Kerr ( @jmk1691.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Executive Producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, was forced to resign because your parent company Paramount wants a convicted orange fraud to approve a merger. It’s fascism. It’s betrayal. It’s filthy and foul. I have cancelled cable and Paramount.
— Dianne Artful ( @dianneartful.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 6:22 AM
The World needs more Bill Owens and less Trump/ Elon Musk.
— thxchef.bsky.social ( @thxchef.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Shameful management. Stand up for Freedom of Speech & free press, 60 Minutes. Stop caving in to fascism and the billionaires.
— Trish ( @trishd2020.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
60 Minutes will change, for the worse, without Bill Owens..
— lizabbbbb.bsky.social ( @lizabbbbb.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Thank you, #Paramount, for saving me money each month. Cancelled and deleted!
— SassyERNurse 🌍 🇺🇸 ( @sassyernurse.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 3:43 PM
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.
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