Lesley Stahl Speaks out After Major CBS Figure’s Exit

Following Bill Owens’ departure from 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl spoke out about the major CBS figure’s exit.

Stahl, who has worked on 60 Minutes for 35 seasons, admitted to Variety that she is “devastated” by Owens’ exit. She also stated that Owens “represented everything in a boss you could want.”

Owens, who had led 60 Minutes since 2019, announced in a meeting last month that he had decided to exit the show and CBS News due to an increasing lack of ability “to make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience.”

Owens departed from 60 Minutes and CBS News as the media outlet’s parent company, Paramount Global, pursues the sale of Skydance Media. However, executives believe President Trump’s $10 million lawsuit against 60 Minutes and CBS News has complicated the sale.

In the lawsuit, the world leader accused 60 Minutes and CBS News of “misleading voters” by airing two different edits of an interview with former Vice President and his 2024 presidential election democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.

Stahl said she has been made aware of the “interferences” in the news processes and is questioning their judgment. “That is not the way that companies that own news organizations should be acting,” she explained.

Stahl further pointed out that Owens “just couldn’t abide the interference.”

“We hope that this message reaches our bosses, that we have a reputation to uphold,” she said. “It’s one of the reasons that CBS News is valuable. It’s what 60 Minutes stands for, and we can’t lose that. We can’t afford to lose that.”

Stahl then added, “We have lost our boss because of it. It’s just crushing.”

Owens sent the 60 Minutes staff a message about the reason behind his exit.

“Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience,” he wrote. “So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.”