Former ’60 Minutes’ Correspondent Steve Kroft Speaks Out About CBS Show’s Crisis

Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft has firmly placed the blame on President Donald Trump for the recent upheaval at the iconic CBS News magazine program.

The retired reporter spoke to the Status newsletter on Friday (May 29) after the latest string of staff changes at 60 Minutes. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss announced last week that the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon, would be replaced by filmmaker Nick Bilton. In addition, exec producer Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi were fired.

“Since I retired, I often wondered what would happen to 60 Minutes,” Kroft told the outlet, per The Huffington Post. “But I never expected it would be executed by the president of the United States.”

Kroft retired from 60 Minutes on May 19, 2019, after 30 seasons on the show. During his tenure, he received three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement in 2003.

“There is no smoking gun. But [Trump’s] fingerprints and DNA are all over this,” he added. “He’s been making threats against 60 Minutes and how he wanted it gone. And he finally got his wish.”

Last July, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to Trump as part of a settlement. Trump previously sued the company after an episode of 60 Minutes in which he claimed his then-presidential rival, Kamala Harris, was edited in a way to make her look better during the election.

Related

Axed '60 Minutes' Star Cecilia Vega Speaks Out After Shocking Exit From Show

More from this section

Movies and TV shows casting across the US

While many legal experts agreed the president’s claims were baseless, the lawsuit was taken seriously, in part, because Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media required government approval.

Trump spent the preceding months railing against the show, often demanding it be taken off the air. “CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social back in February 2025.

Following the merger, Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed Weiss as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News. Since taking over, Weiss has been putting her stamp on the network, with a particular focus on 60 Minutes, including staff changes and even pulling stories.

More Headlines:

• Nancy Guthrie: Expert Says Ransom Letters Were ‘Distraction’ & Compares to Jodie Foster Case
• ‘GMA’ Host Robin Roberts Teases Exciting New Movie Project
• Former ’60 Minutes’ Correspondent Steve Kroft Speaks Out About CBS Show’s Crisis
• Peabo Bryson, R&B Singer Known for Disney Movie Songs, Suffers Stroke at 75
• HGTV’s Jasmine Roth Shares Update on Hospitalized Daughter After ‘Traumatic’ Accident