CBS Mornings is on track for its “worst-rated June ever” after the network fired veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, according to a new report.
Earlier this month, Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the flagship news program and having “no qualifications for her job” during an explosive editorial meeting.
Critics have claimed Weiss, appointed last year, has steered coverage to favor the Trump administration and Israel. She has reportedly responded that she is not “a mouthpiece for anybody” and that her goal is to improve the network and restore trust in journalism.
Following the fiery June 1 meeting, Pelley received a termination letter from 60 Minutes’ new executive producer, Nick Bilton, who said the journalist had shown “remarkable incivility and contempt.”
The controversy seems to have spilled over to the network’s morning show, which saw a steep decline in viewership the day after Pelley’s firing, the newsletter Status reported, citing Nielsen ratings, according to Mediaite.
Ratings obtained by the outlet showed that the perennial third-place morning show had a particularly tough June. The program averaged 1.8 million total viewers, including 313,000 adults ages 25 to 54. On June 3, the day after Pelley’s dismissal, total viewership fell to 1.59 million, with 225,000 in the key 25-to-54 demographic.
That marked an 11 percent decrease in total viewership and “a staggering 28% drop in the demo,” Status reported, adding that the rapid change “alarmed some officials” at the network.
Ratings ticked back up over the ensuing days, meaning “any apparent viewer protest over Pelley’s firing may have been short-lived.” That said, Weiss and her subordinates are “still presiding over some of the worst ratings in the program’s history.”
CBS Mornings experienced its “worst-rated May on record,” according to the outlet, and it is now “on pace for its worst-rated June ever.”
The ratings crisis indicates the network is “grappling with a broader brand image problem under Weiss,” who has “alienated the network’s core audience,” Status reported.
The Independent has reached out to CBS News for comment.
Weiss, 42, was named editor-in-chief of CBS News last October after Paramount, the network’s parent company, was acquired by billionaire David Ellison, who has reported ties to President Donald Trump.
The founder of the anti-woke media outlet The Free Press and a former op-ed staff editor at The New York Times, Weiss has described herself as “radical centrist” and a “Zionist fanatic.”
After joining CBS, she vowed to overhaul the network, promising “comprehensive and fair” coverage and a turnaround in sagging ratings driven by “viral” moments. Months later, she has faced persistent scrutiny over her reported editorial decisions.
One flashpoint came in December, when she spiked a 60 Minutes segment highlighting harsh conditions in a Latin American prison where the Trump administration deported Venezuelan migrants. The report ultimately aired nearly a month later.
Her promotion — and reported micromanagement — of CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil has also raised eyebrows. During a segment on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Dokoupil told viewers, “We salute you, you are the ultimate Florida man.” He’s also featured pro-Israel commentators in his broadcast, prompting critics to accuse the network of abandoning impartiality.
Following mounting controversy, Puck News reported last month that senior executives had been discussing whether Weiss should “cede day-to-day control” of 60 Minutes, CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News, as insiders griped that she is “drastically overstretched.”
A Paramount spokesperson rejected that characterization, telling The Independent: “Bari has the full support of Paramount and David Ellison as the editorial leader overseeing CBS News and 60 Minutes.”
During a town hall in January, Weiss pushed back against criticism of her leadership.
"I'm here to do one thing. It's not to be a mouthpiece for anybody,” she said, according to Business Insider. “It's simply to be a mouthpiece for fairness and the pursuit of truth.”
"There's a lot of noise out there,” she added, “But I would just urge anyone who suggests that to look at our work and judge for yourself.”
