“60 Minutes' ”Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim Agree to Stay on Show After Scott Pelley's Firing for 1 Reason

Deirdre Durkan, Colleen KratofilFri, June 5, 2026 at 5:12 PM UTC

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Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty -

Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim said they are remaining at 60 Minutes after recent firings and departures rocked the program

In a memo to colleagues on June 5, the correspondents said they are still "deeply upset" over how former coworkers were treated and called the situation "heartbreaking"

The trio said they "don't want to see 60 Minutes die"

Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim are speaking out about their future at 60 Minutes following Scott Pelley's firing.

In a memo addressed to colleagues and obtained by PEOPLE, the three correspondents announced that they have decided to remain at the long-running news show despite recent turmoil that has rocked the program.

The trio said they spent days debating whether to leave following the recent departures of several senior staffers and correspondents, but ultimately landed on one conclusion: "We don't want to see 60 Minutes die."

"We have had a hard time deciding whether to stay at 60 Minutes," the memo begins. "We're still deeply upset by the firings of Tanya and Draggan, strong leaders who everyone respected."

The journalists were referring to former executive producer Tanya Simon and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, both of whom exited the program during a major shakeup led by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski.

Sharyn Alfonsi; Scott Pelley; Bill Whitaker; Lesley Stahl; John Wertheim; Anderson CooperCredit: Joe Pugliese / CBS

"As far as we can tell — because no explanation has ever been offered, they were expelled because they fought for our 60 Minutes values and stood up to protect our independence and integrity," the letter continued. "Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships. Collaboration and argument are the way we have always worked at 60. [Show creator] Don Hewitt actually encouraged loud passionate advocacy for our pieces. This goes for Sharyn [Alfonsi], Cecilia [Vega] and Scott as well, all at the top of the world of TV journalism who exemplified 60 Minutes' ethos of tough questions and honest storytelling."

They also named past colleagues including "outstanding 60 Minutes producer" Guy Campanile and Matt Polevoy, who ran online operations. "We want to express how sorry we are that these principled, fair and honest journalists were treated so shabbily, with such indecency," the letter said. "Tanya deserves to be celebrated, not cruelly cast off. Draggan too. It's been heartbreaking."

"But, we have decided to stay on," the journalists announced. "We feared that our returning might be construed as an endorsement of the existing power structure. That is simply, categorically not the case." They then detailed the reasons for their decision.

"Here's why we're staying: We don't want to see 60 Minutes die." They continued, "We have been grieving because this whole mess has wounded and damaged the broadcast. We want to stay and fight, try to repair and preserve our reputation."

The correspondents' memo also appeared to reference a message newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton sent to staff this week, obtained by PEOPLE, in which he sought to reassure employees about the future of the broadcast and its editorial independence.

"The foundation of 60 Minutes is its journalistic independence," Bilton wrote. "We will always pursue stories without fear or favor. We will always make the story the North Star — not relationships nor politics nor anything else."

Bilton also pledged that the program would "never be instructed by the ownership of the company" on its reporting and emphasized that "discussion, debate and disagreement are essential to the making of good journalism."

Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim specifically cited Bilton's "independence" memo in explaining their decision to remain, writing, "We heard all the right things in yesterday's 'independence' memo. It went a long way, and now we need to see these commitments to our process and procedures put into action."

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Jon Wertheim; Bill Whitaker; Lesley Stahl; Scott PelleyCredit: Jai Lennard/CBS News

The correspondents added that their commitment depends on whether the program continues producing the journalism that built its reputation. "If we can continue doing the work that made this show what it is — committing acts of independent, fearless journalism and storytelling — we're here for it. If not, we leave," they said.

The memo concludes with a message to the staff members who remain at the broadcast.

"For now we're staying — for our audience, the millions who watch us with a loyal but critical eye," they wrote. "We're staying for our teams, and all the teams. We work for you guys. The thought of abandoning you became unbearable. And of course we're staying because this is home."

The note comes just days after Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes after nearly four decades at CBS News.

Pelley, who joined CBS News in 1989, was terminated on June 2 following a contentious staff meeting with Bilton, according to reports from The New York Times and The Guardian.

During the meeting, Pelley allegedly accused Weiss of trying to dismantle the storied news program.

"She does not love this place, she was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that," Pelley reportedly said. "She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job."

According to a termination letter obtained by PEOPLE, Bilton accused Pelley of "ambush" and "misconduct," claiming the correspondent used the meeting to publicly disparage him and challenge his leadership.

Following his firing, Pelley released a statement accusing CBS' new ownership and leadership of abandoning the program's longstanding editorial values.

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"When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects," Pelley wrote. "Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking."

Pelley also claimed that 60 Minutes had "lost its DNA" after the departures of senior leaders and correspondents, including Simon, Vega and Alfonsi.

"The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable," he wrote. "The principles I hold dear are gone, and so I must leave as well."

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