The future of the program «60 Minutes» depends on two familiar faces. After Scott Pelley's sudden firing, CBS employees are now wondering if Lesley Stahl и Bill Whitaker in their places. Their potential departure would sever the news program's last ties to its illustrious past, leaving a program already shaken by leadership changes in limbo.
Will Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker leave after Scott Pelley's firing at 60 Minutes?
Following the departure of one of "60 Minutes"'s most recognizable correspondents, attention shifted to Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker. Stahl joined CBS News in 1971 and became a correspondent for the program in 1991.
She worked alongside legends like Mike Wallace and Morley Safer. Whitaker joined the network in 1984 and the program in 2014, making him a relative newcomer despite decades of experience.
Those familiar with their thinking describe the choice as deeply personal. One source told Variety, "I think they feel like if they leave, there won't be anything left of '60s.'" Stahl, now 84, works on a one-year contract and has woven the show into the fabric of her life. Her tenacity is undeniable; one producer once nicknamed her "Rebel Grandma" after she trekked through Rwanda in 2021 to track mountain primates.
Whitaker, 74, recently emerged as a candidate to become the anchor of CBS Sunday Morning when contract negotiations with Jane Pauley appeared uncertain, but he expressed a desire to continue his work at 60 Minutes.
Moreover, the program's experienced producers face their own dilemma. Many have dedicated decades to a format that affords them something rare in modern journalism: time. Unlike the frantic pace of breaking news, "60 Minutes" allows them to immerse themselves in reports and conduct exhaustive research for weeks. Leaving means giving up this craft, but staying risks losing the substantial severance packages they would have received had they been fired.
The influence that Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker currently wield is considerable. Their departure will deprive "60 Minutes" of its remaining institutional memory at a time when Weiss and Bilton are promising sweeping changes. Whether these changes will extend to the correspondents who embody the program's legacy remains a question no one at CBS can confidently answer.
Original report by Devanshi Basu from ComingSoon.
The article "CBS Staff Wants to Know If Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker Will Leave '60 Minutes'" first appeared on Mandatory.