Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, said that he is resigning from the program, telling staffers that he had lost his ability to make independent decisions about the show.
“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” he wrote. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. 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.
“The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer.
The New York Times first reported on his exit.
Owens’ departure comes amid settlement talks between CBS and Donald Trump‘s team over a lawsuit that he filed over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Many legal observers call the lawsuit frivolous, but CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, needs administration approval for its proposed merger with Skydance.
More to come.
