CBS' '60 Minutes' returns without Scott Pelley – Inside the Season 59 premiere - USA Today

The stopwatch on the new season of "60 Minutes" has finally ticked down, bringing the classic news program back to our screens.

The decades-old newsmagazine returned for its 59th season on Sunday, Sept. 13 (7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS), and the world was tuning in to see more than just the news of the week. The news show has faced its fair share of controversy in recent months, including a shakeup that saw longtime correspondent Scott Pelley fired, and reports of internal turmoil dominated headlines.

"60 Minutes," which remains the most-watched news program in the country, has a new executive producer, Nick Bilton, and plenty of new faces in its much-anticipated new season, including conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, CBS Evening News alumna Norah O'Donnell, "The Perfect Storm" author Sebastian Junger, Vice News alum Gianna Toboni and prominent British broadcaster Trevor Phillips.

It all adds up to a "60 Minutes" that is the same but radically different under new management. What was it like in the first episode since its scandal sent shockwaves through the media world?

The news program didn't look too different from past seasons, following its usual format for the night.

The episode opened with O'Donnell reporting on a story about the two American airmen whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April. She spoke with several officials, including Officer "Bravo," one of the airmen who was stranded in Iran for several days. He chose not to use his real name due to security threats from Iran but spoke in detail about the terrifying moment his plane went down, his fight for survival and the risky rescue efforts that followed.

Lesley Stahl's story was next, with the veteran journalist reporting on pardon brokers who take on cases for money, citing their ties to President Donald Trump. Stahl's team used hidden cameras as they investigated how pardon brokers set their prices and whether Trump is "selling pardons."

Jon Wertheim followed, reporting on a feature story about the Los Angeles Rams, with interviews from head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.

Finally, the episode concluded with Douthat speaking to viewers about artificial intelligence and its safety. He introduced himself as "one of the new faces you'll see" on "60 Minutes," before teasing what's to come this season.

"We'll be chasing a lot of stories this season, but right now, no story looms larger than the latest developments in artificial intelligence," he said, later noting, "We may have a narrow window this year, not the next 10, to make artificial intelligence safe for humanity. That clock is ticking, and so is ours…"

He emphasized that "60 Minutes" is "journalism you can trust," before adding an ominous warning, "Where we're headed, we're going to need it."

"60 Minutes" did not mention any staffing changes or the recent turmoil that the show experienced over the summer. The only acknowledgment was Douthat stating that he's "one of the new faces you'll see" on the Sunday news program.

The shakeup at "60 Minutes" included the firings of Pelley, executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega earlier this year. New executive producer Bilton decided to fire Pelley, prompting outrage from viewers and media talking heads, as well as an aggressive public defense from the terminated newsman.

In a note obtained by USA TODAY on June 2, Bilton told Pelley he hoped they could pave a "path forward together" after the "misconduct," but added, "You made it clear that you are not interested in such a path."

Pelley responded publicly to the scandal in a June 7 episode of the New York Times' "The Interview" podcast and said he doesn't feel "sorry" for himself but cares about the "people that I left behind" at "60 Minutes" and about "this institution that I love so much."

"The best thing that I can imagine in terms of describing it is that it's like your spouse was murdered," he said. "There's some moments of the day I feel fine. There's some moments of the day that I just, frankly, fall apart, when I least expect it."

Pelley and the producers' exits were preceded by the much more amicable departure of Anderson Cooper after two decades at the program, who received an emotional goodbye segment on the show's May 17 Season 58 finale.

Changes at "60 Minutes" and other CBS News programs followed the hiring of conservative-leaning journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, including its TV shows and online media operation. CBS's parent company Paramount merged with Skydance in 2025, and new CEO David Ellison installed Weiss as part of broader changes at the company.

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