CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ Revamps Team for Upcoming Season

CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ has announced new additions to its correspondent lineup as it prepares for its 59th season. This follows a major shakeup earlier this year. Ross Douthat from The New York Times and Norah O’Connell, formerly of ‘CBS Evening News’, headline the new group joining the program. Nick Bilton, the show’s new executive producer, shared the news in a staff memo.

Other additions include Sebastian Junger, Trevor Phillips, and Gianna Toboni. These fresh faces will join existing correspondents Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim, and Bill Whitaker. The changes come two months after CBS’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, restructured the program’s team. Tanya Simon, who had spent over three decades with the show, was replaced by Bilton, while some existing correspondents were let go.

The network’s president, Tom Cibrowski, and Nick Bilton expressed enthusiasm for the new blood being brought in. They highlighted Douthat’s writing prowess and a podcast initiative spearheaded by O’Donnell. Bilton spoke highly of Junger’s book ‘The Perfect Storm’, noting it brought a new style of storytelling to nonfiction. Toboni, recognized for her investigative journalism, brings experience from VICE News and CNN to ’60 Minutes’.

London-based Trevor Phillips will serve as the news division’s senior global affairs correspondent. Known for his tough interviewing style, Phillips is seen as a trusted voice in the UK.

The changes at ’60 Minutes’ are set against a backdrop of turmoil that has been ongoing for over a year. This included a lawsuit from former President Donald Trump against the show, following an edited interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 election campaign. CBS News has been undergoing broader changes, with Weiss appointed as editor-in-chief by Paramount.