Entertainment

60 Minutes Opens Season 59 Under New Leadership

Putri ArdhanaPublished 5d ago2 min readBased on 7 sources
60 Minutes Opens Season 59 Under New Leadership
Photo by Veri Ivanova on Unsplash

60 Minutes opened its 59th season on Sunday night with new bosses behind the camera.

The CBS news programme aired 13 September at 7:30 PM, with Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief overseeing the franchise and Nick Bilton as executive producer, the job in day-to-day charge of the show. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the new leadership on 14 September.

The premiere stayed with familiar faces. Reports were fronted by Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Norah O’Donnell. Stahl has been with 60 Minutes since 1991. Wertheim joined the correspondent rotation in 2017, and O’Donnell began as a part-time correspondent in 2015.

That continuity matters for a programme with a long history. 60 Minutes was created in 1968 by Don Hewitt and premiered on CBS in September that year, according to CBS News. The current run is its 59th season, which CBS listed for 13 September.

Weiss arrived through a corporate deal. Paramount announced on 6 October 2025 that it would acquire The Free Press, where Weiss is co-founder and chief executive, and that she would join CBS News as editor-in-chief, according to Paramount. The announcement identified David Ellison as Paramount chairman and chief executive. The organisation said the deal brought Weiss and The Free Press into the company.

Three correspondents chose to stay. Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker remained with 60 Minutes, Deadline reported on 8 September. Whitaker now forms part of the team alongside Stahl, O’Donnell and Wertheim, as shown in a CBS team portrait published that same week.

The opening episode kept the classic shape with small changes. Wertheim fronted a segment about the Los Angeles Rams. Commentator Ross Douthat appeared for 60 seconds at the close. The ticking stopwatch, the show’s signature opening image, played against a backdrop more white than red.

For viewers, this means the same slot with a split identity. Same correspondents. New editors. A large crew keeps the weekly hour on air, and the story continues from where it left off.

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