60 Minutes hires Douthat and O’Donnell after CBS shakeup
CBS is adding Ross Douthat, Norah O’Donnell and three others as 60 Minutes rebuilds under executive producer Nick Bilton.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
CBS’s 60 Minutes has hired Ross Douthat, Norah O’Donnell and three other journalists for its 59th season, The Associated Press reported. The additions matter because the long-running newsmagazine is rebuilding after a leadership change and several prominent departures.
Nick Bilton, the program’s new executive producer, announced the hires Tuesday in a staff memo shared on X, according to the AP. Douthat, a conservative opinion columnist at The New York Times, and O’Donnell, the former anchor of CBS Evening News, are joining a new lineup that also includes author Sebastian Junger, Trevor Phillips and Gianna Toboni.
Who is joining 60 Minutes?
Bilton said the new group will work alongside current correspondents Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker, the AP reported. Douthat, Junger, Phillips and Toboni are joining as contributors, while Bilton’s memo said O’Donnell will be a correspondent on the program.
Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski welcomed the hires in an internal memo, according to the AP. Bilton described Douthat as “one of the preeminent public intellectuals in America today” and noted that he has spent nearly two decades at the Times and written several books.
Bilton called O’Donnell “a powerhouse” and pointed to her continued work across CBS, including a new podcast. He said viewers would see more of her at 60 Minutes as she takes on the correspondent role.
Junger is best known for nonfiction work including The Perfect Storm, his book about a catastrophic 1991 storm. Bilton said the book had a strong effect on reported nonfiction and helped establish Junger’s reputation as a major writer in the form.
Toboni joins 60 Minutes as a contributor and CBS News as a national correspondent, the AP reported. She previously worked as a senior correspondent at VICE News and VICE on HBO, and she comes to CBS from CNN; Bilton cited her reporting on ISIS, cartel violence in Mexico and the death penalty.
Phillips will also contribute to the program after being announced last month as CBS News’ senior global affairs correspondent. Based in London, he was praised by Bilton for his questioning of people in power and his standing in the United Kingdom.
What changed at 60 Minutes before the hires?
The new lineup follows a shakeup led by Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor-in-chief, the AP reported. Weiss installed Bilton as executive producer, replacing Tanya Simon, who left after more than 30 years with the program.
Correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were also let go, according to the AP. Scott Pelley departed after a tense confrontation with managers over the changes, while Anderson Cooper, whose main job is at CNN, had earlier said he would leave after two decades.
The AP reported that turmoil had affected 60 Minutes for more than a year, including after President Donald Trump sued the program over its editing of a 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The broader CBS News changes followed Weiss being named editor-in-chief by Paramount after David Ellison became the network’s corporate leader.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.