‘60 Minutes’ gets a makeover with bold new faces
Ross Douthat, the conservative New York Times columnist, will join CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” along with author Sebastian Junger, new CBS News correspondent Trevor Phillips and filmmaker Gianna Toboni, the Paramount Skydance news division announced Tuesday, a move that will remake the look and feel of the venerable newsmagazine at a time when it has been under intense scrutiny.Norah O’Donnell, a familiar face to CBS News viewers, will also take up more duties with the program, according to Nick Bilton, the series’ new executive producer, who offered details in a memo to staffers.Douthat, Junger, Phillips and Toboni are “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences,” Bilton said. “Between them, they have written books and magazine articles, produced documentaries, TV shows and podcasts, hosted live events and built brands on independent platforms.”The question facing them now, of course, is can the new hires keep CBS viewers engaged during 12- to 13-minute-long video segments that air on broadcast TV?The foursome are meant to replace a group of longtime correspondents who were ousted by Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, in a bid to make the program more interesting for modern viewers. Weiss believes the program is in dire need of a shake-up and has to be made more relevant to digital audiences and younger viewers. In late May, she replaced Tanya Simon, the show’s previous executive producer, along with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. Scott Pelley left soon after following a clash with Bilton. Anderson Cooper chose to leave the program earlier in the year, ostensibly because he has been wary of the direction CBS News has taken under Weiss, an opinion journalist who has often worked to get more time for Trump administration officials and provocative voices and experts.CBS News injects the untested coterie into the program alongside three veterans: Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker. All three opted to stay despite the way management gutted the program, seemingly with little regard for its recent accomplishments. In an era when more TV viewers are streaming away from old-school appointment television, “60 Minutes” in its most recent season saw overall viewers increase by 9%.Whether the new group will be accepted by audiences or colleagues remains to be seen. Both Douthat and Phillips have most recently expressed themselves with commentary and opinion columns, while the bulk of “60 Minutes” is meant to feature hard, investigative reportage or deep feature journalism. Phillips, for example, is a former British politician who has become known as a free-speech advocate, but has also generated controversy for remarks he has made about British Muslims and has been accused of Islamophobia. Douthat has argued against abortion and written books on the decline of religion in the U.S.Junger and Toboni seem to be more in the traditional “60 Minutes” vein. Junger, the author of books such as “The Perfect Storm” and “Tribe,” has studied regions in conflict for years, as well as the effect of serving in war on soldiers. Toboni has been involved in dozens of documentaries that have been seen on HBO, Showtime and VICE. Among the topics she has covered are political corruption in Mexico and unnecessary gynecologic surgeries on migrant women in ICE custody.The new group assembles under pressure. The 59th season of “60 Minutes” is slated to debut September 13. In normal times, correspondents try to bank a piece before taking time off in July. Because of the abrupt overhaul of the program, however, there have been fewer staffers and producers to develop stories and segments.Bilton has other challenges. Morale at the program has been low. Previous management at Paramount turned the program into a bargaining chip with the Trump administration, which leveraged a $16 million settlement to end what has been viewed in many legal circles as a flimsy lawsuit tied to a pre-Election Day interview between Whitaker, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount made the deal as it sought to complete its sale to Skydance, the network’s current owner. Paramount’s capitulation spurred the exits of two senior CBS News executives — Bill Owens, the former “60 Minutes” executive producer, and Wendy McMahon, the former CEO of CBS’ news, stations and syndication businesses.People familiar with CBS News say producers have “self-censored” themselves, avoiding ideas and topics they believe would spur pushback from Weiss or corporate. Producers have been cowed internally after the show has been undermined by a media company that has consistently refused to stand up for it in public.Millions of dollars are at stake. The newsmagazine generated between $67 million and $69 million in advertising revenue in both 2024 and 2025 according to data from iSpot, and commanded the 11th-biggest haul of ad dollars of any show on CBS last year. “60 Minutes” is a dependable perch for one of the network’s top sponsor categories –- healthcare and pharmaceuticals — and counts drugs such as Rinvoq, Clairtin, Skyrizi and Vabysmo as among its biggest advertisers in 2026.There is a contingent of CBS News staffers who think “60 Minutes” needs to change. Some feel the program has become too genteel and needs more of the on-screen dramatics of former correspondent Mike Wallace. Others found schadenfreude upon hearing in February that the newsmagazine would be plucked from its separate headquarters on West 57th Street and plugged alongside the rest of the news division’s editors, producers and reporters at an office across the avenue. When it comes to expansion of the program, past attempts have failed to stick around as long as the flagship. Efforts to expand “60 Minutes” to a second hour on Wednesdays, a sports-themed counterpart for Showtime or a digital spin off with shorter stories for streaming have not proven to have long lives.Still, there are just as many who believe the “60” overhaul is motivated by a Paramount management team that lacks the spine to tangle with politicians and the powerful.If Bilton and Weiss can reinvigorate the remaining staff, broaden the “60 Minutes” portfolio and maintain the quality and ratings of the original TV program, they will have achieved quite a feat. Weiss is still trying to build a track record. Her overhaul of “CBS Evening News” has resulted in a choppy new era for the signature evening news program. Viewership for “CBS Mornings” has diminished and a series of hour-long newsmaker conversations called “Things That Matter” has proved too sporadic to gain true momentum.With new hires unveiled, Bilton’s era at “60 Minutes” faces an interesting countdown between now and September.-Variety
