Up to date Sept. 13, 2026, 9:17 p.m. ET
The stopwatch on the brand new season of “60 Minutes” has lastly ticked down, bringing the basic information program again 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 extra than simply the information of the week. The information present has confronted its fair proportion of controversy in latest months, together with a shakeup that noticed longtime correspondent Scott Pelley fired, and reviews of inside turmoil dominated headlines.
“60 Minutes,” which stays the most-watched information program within the nation, has a brand new govt producer, Nick Bilton, and loads of new faces in its much-anticipated new season, together with conservative New York Instances columnist Ross Douthat, CBS Night Information alumna Norah O’Donnell, “The Good Storm” creator Sebastian Junger, Vice Information alum Gianna Toboni and outstanding British broadcaster Trevor Phillips.
All of it provides as much as a “60 Minutes” that’s the similar however radically totally different below new administration. What was it like within the first episode since its scandal despatched shockwaves by means of the media world?
’60 Minutes’ returns for Season 59: A recap of the primary episode
The information program did not look too totally different from previous seasons, following its standard format for the evening.
The episode opened with O’Donnell reporting on a narrative concerning the two American airmen whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April. She spoke with a number of officers, together with Officer “Bravo,” one of many airmen who was stranded in Iran for a number of days. He selected to not use his actual identify on account of safety threats from Iran however spoke intimately concerning the terrifying second his airplane went down, his battle for survival and the dangerous rescue efforts that adopted.
Lesley Stahl’s story was subsequent, with the veteran journalist reporting on pardon brokers who tackle instances for cash, citing their ties to President Donald Trump. Stahl’s crew used hidden cameras as they investigated how pardon brokers set their costs and whether or not Trump is “promoting pardons.”
Jon Wertheim adopted, reporting on a characteristic story concerning the Los Angeles Rams, with interviews from head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
Lastly, the episode concluded with Douthat chatting with viewers about synthetic intelligence and its security. He launched himself as “one of many new faces you may see” on “60 Minutes,” earlier than teasing what’s to come back this season.
“We’ll be chasing a whole lot of tales this season, however proper now, no story looms bigger than the newest developments in synthetic intelligence,” he stated, later noting, “We could have a slim window this 12 months, not the subsequent 10, to make synthetic intelligence protected for humanity. That clock is ticking, and so is ours…”
He emphasised that “60 Minutes” is “journalism you’ll be able to belief,” earlier than including an ominous warning, “The place we’re headed, we’ll want it.”
Did ’60 Minutes’ tackle Scott Pelley firing in season premiere?
“60 Minutes” didn’t point out any staffing modifications or the latest turmoil that the present skilled over the summer time. The one acknowledgment was Douthat stating that he is “one of many new faces you may see” on the Sunday information program.
What occurred at ’60 Minutes’ this summer time? Why is it controversial?
The shakeup at “60 Minutes” included the firings of Pelley, govt producer Tanya Simon, govt editor Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega earlier this 12 months. New govt producer Bilton determined to fireplace Pelley, prompting outrage from viewers and media speaking heads, in addition to an aggressive public protection from the terminated newsman.
In a notice obtained by USA TODAY on June 2, Bilton advised Pelley he hoped they may pave a “path ahead collectively” after the “misconduct,” however added, “You made it clear that you’re not curious about such a path.”
Pelley responded publicly to the scandal in a June 7 episode of the New York Instances’ “The Interview” podcast and stated he does not really feel “sorry” for himself however cares concerning the “people who I left behind” at “60 Minutes” and about “this establishment that I like a lot.”
“The perfect factor that I can think about by way of describing it’s that it is like your partner was murdered,” he stated. “There’s some moments of the day I really feel superb. There’s some moments of the day that I simply, frankly, disintegrate, after I least anticipate it.”
Pelley and the producers’ exits have been preceded by the way more amicable departure of Anderson Cooper after 20 years on the program, who obtained an emotional goodbye phase on the present’s Might 17 Season 58 finale.
Modifications at “60 Minutes” and different CBS Information packages adopted the hiring of conservative-leaning journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS Information, together with its TV exhibits and on-line media operation. CBS’s mother or father firm Paramount merged with Skydance in 2025, and new CEO David Ellison put in Weiss as a part of broader modifications on the firm.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo
