The top producer of “60 Minutes” quit Tuesday amid rising pressure stemming from a $20 billion lawsuit President Trump filed against CBS.
Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.
“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 memo to staff.
“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,” he added.
Owens is a legend at the Eye Network with 37 years experience and is only the third person to lead “60 Minutes.”
“The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer,” Owens added.
CBS News President Wendy McMahon responded by saying in a separate note to staff that she remains “committed” to the show despite Owens’ departure and that “the mission and the work remain our priority.”
Trump filed the massive suit against CBS just before the November election, claiming the network favorably edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
He recently resumed the attacks when “60 Minutes” aired a critical piece on his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his push to seize Greenland.
The president has urged government regulators to strip CBS of its broadcast license or face other legal consequences.
“CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” Trump wrote on his social media site last month.
Like other major American institutions, CBS is under pressure to avoid confrontation with Trump or face severe legal or business payback.
Paramount chief Shari Redstone reportedly wants to curry favor with Trump to win approval of the company’s proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
CBS has derided the Trump suit as “an affront to the First Amendment,” and Owens vowed not to apologize, scoffing at the claim that the news magazine series sought to boost Harris.
But after Trump won another four years in the White House, Paramount opened negotiations for a possible settlement.
Originally Published: April 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM EDT
