Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim announced Friday their decisions to remain at CBS's "60 Minutes" following the tumultuous departures of several senior correspondents and top producers on the show.
The three correspondents issued a joint statement, saying: "We had a difficult time deciding whether to stay... We do not want '60 Minutes' to end. We are saddened by the trauma and damage this entire mess has caused to our program.".
«"We want to stay and fight," they added.
Stahl, 84, and Whitaker, 74, remained sidelined as they declined to comment on the scandal that has engulfed the show since new CBS News management fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as well as producers Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihajlovic and Matthew Polevoy, last Thursday as part of a complete restructuring of the show.
Then, on Tuesday night, the network fired veteran Scott Pelley, telling him in a legally worded email that he was being fired "for cause" because of his behavior at a contentious meeting the previous day with new executive producer Nick Bilton and the network's editor-in-chief, Charles Forelle.
During the meeting, Pelley criticized Bari Weiss, a former commentator who became the network's editor-in-chief, a position that sparked a backlash among numerous CBS employees who raised concerns about impartiality.
«"She's ruining '60 Minutes,'" Pelley said of Weiss. "She doesn't like the place. She was brought in to destroy it, and that's exactly what she's doing.".
In a report Friday, three correspondents said they remained "deeply upset by the dismissals" of Simon and Mihajlovic, whom they described as "strong leaders who were widely respected.".
«"As far as we know—since no explanation has been given—they were fired for fighting for the values of '60 Minutes' and defending our independence and integrity. Newsrooms should not operate as dictatorships," they wrote.
The reporters also mentioned Alfonsi, Vega and Pelli, as well as Polevoy and senior producer Guy Campanile, who was also fired from CBS News.
«"We wish to express our deep regret that these principled, honest, and decent journalists were treated in such a humiliating and tactless manner. It is heartbreaking," they wrote.
Explaining their decision to stay, they stated: "We feared that our return might be interpreted as an endorsement of the existing power structure. This is absolutely not the case.".
«"We want to... try to restore and maintain our reputation by continuing Mike Wallace's tradition of holding them to their tasks.".
A source at 60 Minutes told the Guardian on Friday that the correspondents "stayed to avoid abandoning their producers and staff, many of whom simply cannot afford to leave.".
«"This is essentially an act of self-sacrifice and generosity," said a source close to the situation. "And they're voting to keep '60 Minutes' alive. I can guarantee they'll hold Bilton to his promise to keep corporate interference out.".
In a memo sent to 60 Minutes staff on Thursday, Bilton pledged "journalistic independence," stating, "We will always investigate stories without fear or favor. We will always put the story first—not relationships, politics, or anything else... We will never take direction from the company's owners regarding these stories.".
On Friday, three correspondents cited Bilton's memo, stating, "Yesterday's 'independence' memo had all the right words. It made a big difference, and now we need to see those commitments to our processes and procedures translated into action.".
They added: "If we can continue to do what made this show what it is—performing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling—we'll be here. Otherwise, we'll go.".
Stahl is one of the most famous and respected (and feared) television journalists of the last 50 years. She joined CBS News in 1971 and has been with 60 Minutes since 1991, and the list of her famous stories and interviews is too long to list.
Before the 2020 election, Donald Trump, then running for reelection, cut short an interview with Stahl when it became contentious. "Excuse me, Leslie, you started with me. Your first statement was, 'Are you ready for the tough questions?'" Trump said. "Are you ready?" Stahl replied, unfazed. "That's not a good way to say it. That's not a good way to say it," Trump replied.
In a May 2025 interview with New Yorker editor David Remnick, Stahl expressed disappointment with Paramount's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, after it became clear that her company planned to settle a frivolous lawsuit filed by Trump just before the 2024 presidential election. She then said she was "praying" that David Ellison, the CEO of the company that agreed to acquire Paramount, would respect the network's editorial independence.
Asked if she was "optimistic" that this would happen on "60 Minutes," Stahl replied, "No, but I'm not gloomy either. You know, maybe I'm blind—maybe I should see what's coming. But I'm not. I'm not optimistic. No. I'm pessimistic. I'm pessimistic about the future of the entire modern press.".
Whitaker joined CBS News in 1984, but only joined the 60 Minutes team in 2014. Notably, he conducted the October 2024 interview with Kamala Harris that served as the basis for Trump's lawsuit against the network.
In February 2025, the network caved to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission to release full transcripts and all video footage of the interview, revealing the program's production process.