The massive upheaval at 60 Minutes hit a high-pressure culmination this week when Scott Pelley was fired from CBS News one day after a heated exchange with newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton, during which he opined that CBS News EIC Bari Weiss is “murdering 60 Minutes” related to multiple series vets losing their jobs in the week prior. Now, former host Steve Croft has responded to the uproar, and he’s not optimistic about where the future lies for the Sunday night staple.
Kroft retired from 60 Minutes back in 2019 after 30 years with the series, and has said he wouldn’t go back and do it again if given the chance. Speaking with PBS NewsHour, Kroft gave Pelley kudos for speaking out against the firings of hosts Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, EP Tanya Simon, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. PBS’ Geoff Bennett addressed the idea that new bosses like Weiss often come into institutions with new ideas to make things better. But to Kroft, there’s no upside to what’s been happening. As he put it:
