'It has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,' says Bill Owens in staff memo
Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes on CBS News, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing mounting pressure and the loss of editorial autonomy in the face of ongoing legal and political attacks from US President Donald Trump.
"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," Owens wrote in a staff memo obtained by The New York Times.
"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."
The departure comes as Trump pursues a lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of "unlawful and illegal behavior" following an October 2024 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which Trump claims was deceptively edited.
-'No one saw this coming'
Sources inside the network told The Independent that Owens' decision stunned staff across the newsroom.
"Everyone is in shock ... senior leadership down to interns, no one saw this coming," said one insider.
"People liked that Bill didn't bend the knee to Trump, [his lawsuit] settlement and corporate overlords who wanted him to apologize," another added.
Paramount Global's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, has reportedly pushed for settling the Trump lawsuit — even as she seeks regulatory approval from the Trump administration to sell the company to Skydance, led by Larry Ellison's son.
Owens had publicly refused to apologize as part of any settlement.
"60 Minutes will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations," he wrote in his memo. "The show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer."
CBS News President Wendy McMahon praised Owens' tenure in her own message to staff, saying: "Standing behind what he stood for was an easy decision for me, and I never took for granted that he did the same for me."
