Head Of ‘60 Minutes’ Exits After Saying He Is Losing Independence

The top producer of CBS News’ iconic Sunday broadcast “60 Minutes” announced on Tuesday that he would be leaving the network.

In a memo to the program’s staff, Bill Owens — who had been at CBS News for 37 years — said that he had lost the ability to exercise independence over the direction of the show, appearing to criticize the impact that the second Trump administration has had on the long-running news program.

“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens wrote in the memo, shared with POLITICO. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. 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.”

CBS has increasingly found itself at the center of President Donald Trump’s crusade against the media. “60 Minutes” has, in particular, been on the receiving end of criticism and Truth Social call outs by Trump, who launched a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the program for its interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

The network and free speech organizations have criticized Trump’s lawsuit — and a parallel investigation by the FCC — as chilling. Trump alleged the interview with Harris was deceptively edited, but the network has said it was “commonplace editorial practices.”

Owens reacted to the lawsuit in February, saying he wouldn’t issue an apology as part of a settlement with the Trump administration, according to The New York Times. CBS’ parent company, Paramount, tried to dismiss the lawsuit in March. The news of Owens departure was first reported by The New York Times.

Owens added in the memo that the program will continue to cover the Trump administration “as we will report on future administrations” and issued a note of confidence.

“The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer,” Owens wrote.

CBS News president and CEO Wendy McMahon shared a message with the newsroom following Owens’ announcement, praising his work with the network and saying they have already begun conversations on the future for “60 Minutes.”

“On a personal note, working with Bill has been one of the great privileges of my career,” McMahon wrote. “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.”