- Bari Weiss’ future at CBS News is in question following underwhelming ratings for 60 Minutes.
- The second episode of 60 Minutes this season had the third-smallest audience in 25 years, with a 33% drop in viewership among adults 25-54.
- Speculation about Weiss’ potential departure has been fueled by the show’s recent ratings dip, but no official decision has been made.
Could Bari Weiss‘ time at CBS be coming to an end after the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger?
That’s the question reportedly being asked inside the industry as 60 Minutes struggles in the ratings following a season of major changes at the long-running newsmagazine. According to Radar Online, Weiss’ future at CBS News could be in question after another underwhelming week of ratings for 60 Minutes.
At this time, there’s no indication that a decision has been made about Weiss’ future, and the report remains unsubstantiated.
The show’s rocky start has fueled speculation about what could happen once the mega merger is complete.
According to Radar, the second episode of 60 Minutes, featuring Patrick Clancy, the ex-husband of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of filicide, averaged 6.77 million viewers, making it the third-smallest audience for the second episode of a 60 Minutes season in the past 25 years. This follows the season premiere of the series, which featured an interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and drew 7.94 million viewers, down 21% from last year’s premiere. The episode also fell 33% among adults 25-54.
Bari Weiss Caught in ‘Cold War’ Power Struggle With CBS News President
Weiss was brought in ahead of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. Since taking the reins at CBS News, she has overseen sweeping changes across the news division. In May, Weiss fired producersTanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich, and Matthew Polevoy, and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi. After longtime correspondent Scott Pelleyspoke out against Weiss during a heated staff meeting, he, too, was dismissed.
According to Radar, this latest ratings dip might be the final nail in the coffin. “60 Minutes used to be the most-watched news show in television, and now it’s being outranked by weekday editions of World News Tonight,” aip in ratings, and it’s another to totally submarine the most valuable brand in news.”
The report has drawn pushback from media reporters, who have cautioned against treating the speculation as fact. Journalist Justin Baragona posted, “Folks, you really need to stop sharing that bulls**t RadarOnline story claiming that Bari Weiss is ‘likely out’ at CBS News. It’sould be in trouble, and it doesn’t even include the quote that’s in the headline.”
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