The season premiere of CBS's "60 Minutes" has been met with widespread praise from media outlets, countering recent anxieties surrounding the program's direction under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. The episode, which aired Sunday, featured an interview with an Air Force colonel who was shot down over Iran earlier this year, alongside a hidden camera investigation led by veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl.
Commentators observed that the show maintained its familiar format, with New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin noting on X that the consensus was "it's still '60 Minutes!'" The New York Times itself acknowledged the start of "The Bari Weiss Era," highlighting correspondent Norah O'Donnell's debut interview with the Air Force pilot. Variety's Brian Steinberg framed the premiere as "60 Minutes putting its most obvious foot forward," characterized by recognizable correspondents and a consistent story mix.
Assessments from Deadline and The Wrap echoed this sentiment. AJ Katz of The Wrap pointed out that "Sunday night, [60 Minutes] spoke for itself," following months of reported unrest outside the broadcast since Weiss implemented changes last spring. Social media commentary from various publications, including Politico, The Atlantic, New York magazine, and The Washington Post, also trended positive.
However, the Hollywood Reporter offered a more critical review, describing the episode as "bland" and suggesting "a limited Bari Weiss effect (So Far)."
Weiss, founder of the center-right Free Press, took over as editor-in-chief in October, appointed by then-new Paramount CEO David Ellison. Sources told CNN in late May that Weiss viewed "60 Minutes" as "calcified and resistant to change." Her subsequent adjustments to the show in May reportedly fueled apprehension about the finished product for Season 59. In the weeks that followed, Weiss reportedly selected Nick Bilton to replace longtime producer Tanya Simon, and a number of firings occurred. Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley was dismissed the following week after reportedly criticizing Weiss and Bilton at a staff meeting, accusing Weiss of "murdering" the program. A recording of this meeting was subsequently leaked to the press.
Pelley, in an interview with The New York Times after his dismissal, claimed that "there's a subtle political bias" at both CBS and "60 Minutes" due to the new leadership. David Ellison, son of conservative billionaire Larry Ellison, a known associate of Donald Trump, hired Weiss shortly after Paramount finalized a merger with his company, Skydance Media. This merger, which had been pending federal approval for over a year, was approved shortly after CBS settled a $16 million lawsuit filed by Trump against the network. Allegations of bribery and political influence subsequently emerged.
Bill Owens, the top executive at "60 Minutes" prior to Simon, publicly accused Paramount of interfering with the show's journalistic integrity during the merger's limbo period, resigning in protest in April 2025. Anderson Cooper also departed the program after more than two decades in May of the same year, intensifying concerns among journalists about the show's impending changes. Neither Weiss nor Bilton possesses prior broadcast experience. Ratings for CBS programs, excluding "60 Minutes," have reportedly failed to meet expectations, further intensifying scrutiny on Weiss's leadership.