Madeleine Carlisle, daughter of comedian Stephen Colbert, has reportedly resigned from her role as an associate producer at CBS's "60 Minutes." Carlisle, 30, had been with the news magazine for four years.
Her departure comes more than two months after "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" concluded its run on CBS. The network had announced in July 2025 the cancellation of the program after 33 years, with David Letterman hosting the first 22 years before Colbert took over.
Carlisle's tenure at "60 Minutes" began in 2017 as an intern. After stints at The Atlantic and Time Magazine, she returned to "60 Minutes" in 2022 as an associate producer. The circumstances of her departure are part of what some "60 Minutes" employees reportedly describe as a "brain drain" affecting the program, following the dismissal of multiple reporters and producers in May.
These May departures included correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. These changes occurred after Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, was appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News in October 2025. Nick Bilton, formerly a technology columnist for The New York Times, replaced Tanya Simon as executive producer.
Notable on-air talents Scott Pelley and Anderson Cooper have also recently left "60 Minutes." Cooper announced his departure in February, several months after the program faced criticism for its last-minute decision not to air a segment titled "Inside CECOT," which investigated the treatment of detainees at a correctional facility in El Salvador.
Pelley, a former anchor of "CBS Evening News," was dismissed from "60 Minutes" on June 2. His termination followed his public criticism of Weiss and Bilton during a staff meeting, where he reportedly accused Weiss of "murdering" the series. Pelley also claimed that CBS management had interfered with reporting on ICE protests in Minnesota, alleging instructions to include false information in the story.
CBS had characterized the cancellation of "The Late Show" as a "purely financial decision." However, this was disputed by Colbert, who stated that CBS had initially sought a five-year contract extension in 2023 but he ultimately agreed to a three-year extension. Anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal claimed the show was losing $40 million annually. Following the cancellation, CBS leased Colbert's former time slot to Byron Allen's Allen Media Group.
Status reported that over 60 "60 Minutes" employees might leave the program when it returns from hiatus in September.