Can ’60 Minutes’ Chief Tanya Simon Stay in Role? CBS News Must Decide

At “60 Minutes,” precious seconds are ticking.

Tanya Simon, only the fourth executive producer in the history of the long-running newsmagazine, could be removed from the role later this year if CBS News executives decline to renew a one-year deal that put her in the job, according to three people familiar with the matter. The revelation is likely to exacerbate concerns about how Bari Weiss, editor in chief of the Paramount Skydance news operation, may recalibrate the revered program, and raises the prospect that CBS News managers could place an outsider — a person with no ties to the show — in charge of “60 Minutes” for the first time in its history.

Simon, who has been a producer and editor on the show for more than a quarter century, and is daughter of a former correspondent, Bob Simon, has a multi-year contract in place with CBS News, these people said. But Paramount only agreed to give her executive-producer duties for a year, likely because previous managers were in the midst of trying to sell the company to David Ellison’s Skydance Media, these people suggested, and interest was higher in taking care of short-term business issues rather than making longer-term plans.

“’60 Minutes’ is a powerhouse program, and the probing, serious, high-quality journalism that is its hallmark is vital to CBS News. We’re immensely excited about its future,” CBS News said in a statement.

Simon is the first woman to oversee the show, following tenures by Don Hewitt, Jeff Fager and Bill Owens.

Some TV contracts tend to have 52-week “cycles,” says one person familiar with talent negotiations. Such clauses enable the network and sometimes the employee to give several weeks’ notice — maybe as much as 8 to 12– if they want to discuss a reassignment. Even so, the fact that Simon was only given a year to officially fill the position and could have to vacate it at a tricky time in the program’s existence has staffers uneasy.

Many in TV-news circles, for example, are concerned about next steps for Sharyn Alfonsi, a “60 Minutes” correspondent who squared off against Weiss after the executive in late 2025 ordered a story about migrants being shipped by the U.S. to harsh imprisonment in El Salvador held after it had already been promoted in public circles. The move drew new inquiry because it had the appearance of trying to placate the Trump administration over a story officials might not find favorable. The segment appeared during a January, 2026, telecast and Weiss acknowledged she drew unwanted attention because she was unfamiliar with some of the news outlet’s processes.

Alfonsi’s contract with CBS News is believed to be near its end, and her supporters wonder if Weiss will let her go in a form of retaliation. Alfonsi did not respond to a query seeking comment.

“60 Minutes” has been under intense scrutiny for months. The show was turned into a bargaining chip between Paramount’s previous managers and the Trump administration, which leveraged a $16 million settlement to President Donald Trump to end what has been viewed in many legal circles as a flimsy lawsuit tied to a pre-Election Day interview between Bill Whitaker, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount made the deal as it sought to complete its sale to Skydance.

As a result, two senior CBS News executives — Owens, the former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” and Wendy McMahon, the former CEO of CBS News, local stations and syndication — suggested in remarks that they could no longer push back against corporate mandates they felt would weaken the newsroom. Both left CBS News last year.

There has been more unwanted notice in recent weeks. Anderson Cooper, who has worked at the newsmagazine as a correspondent for nearly two decades, in February informed CBS News he was leaving the show. His exit was seen in some circles as a sign of defiance against the way Weiss has been managing CBS News.

Since arriving at CBS News last year, Weiss, installed as the unit’s news leader after Paramount Skydance acquired her conservative opinion site, The Free Press, for a reported $150 million, has worked to overhaul the operation — trying to make the news outlet less focused on its linear TV programming and more cognizant of digital audiences. Walter Cronkite “had two competitors,” she told staffers gathered at a meeting in January. “We have two billion, give or take.” Staffers are eager to learn more about building digital appeal, but there has been concern that Weiss’ previous stances on issues such as Israel and the Trump administration will only serve to undermine CBS News’ credibility as a newsgathering organization.

Simon has kept the show running like clockwork through one of its most surreal eras, filled with political pressures and changes in corporate control, as well as the surprise exit of her predecessor. Simon was named interim executive producer after Owens’ departure, and has orchestrated a steady flow of interesting stories as well as the top ratings “60 Minutes” is expected to generate. Last Sunday’s telecast won 10.3 million viewers, and “60 Minutes” is the nation’s most-watched news program overall through the current season. The show snared nearly $80 million in advertising revenue in 2024, according to Guideline, a tracker of ad spending.

Simon is “a great newswoman,” “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl told Variety in April of last year.

Stories this season have included Alfonsi’s interview with an air traffic controller who was inside the tower the day of the collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., and a two-part investigation by Scott Pelley into a microwave weapon that has caused brain injuries known as “Havana Syndrome” to U.S. government personnel.

Scott Pelley and Bill Whitaker, two veteran correspondents at the newsmagazine, are believed to have more time on their contracts. A person familiar with Whitaker’s thinking says the correspondent, who has been with CBS News since 1984 and was once seen as a candidate to host CBS News’ “Sunday Morning,” has no interest in retiring. Whitaker did not respond to a query seeking comment. Pelley could not be reached for immediate comment.

Correspondents and producers at “60 Minutes” aren’t accustomed to being part of the general CBS News mix. For years, they have worked at tonier offices across the street from the main CBS News offices on West 57th Street in New York. That arrangement will change by early next year as Paramount consolidates office space, and staffers from the newsmagazine find themselves working alongside a different assortment of colleagues.

CBS News will need to determine Simon’s next steps later this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. She was named “60 Minutes’” executive producer last July.