CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Under Fire as ‘60 Minutes’ Loses 1.5 Million Viewers in a Year

One of television’s most recognizable news programs is losing viewers — and raising new questions about the woman now in charge.

The fifth episode of the current 60 Minutes season drew 9.6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen data obtained by Status, the Daily Beast reported on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. That marked a 14 percent drop from the same episode last year, which brought in 11.1 million viewers.

The slide comes as the show adjusts to life under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who kicked off the program’s 59th season last month after a major shake-up.

Weiss, 42, had no prior broadcast experience when she took over the newsroom. Paramount CEO David Ellison appointed her after the company bought The Free Press, the right-leaning blog she cofounded, for $150 million, per the outlet.

Football isn’t to blame. The Buffalo Bills–Las Vegas Raiders game that aired right before 60 Minutes averaged 26.5 million viewers, up from 25.3 million for last year’s game, per the report. That works out to a steep 64 percent drop in audience between the NFL broadcast and the news show.

Weiss has also butted heads with 60 Minutes legend Lesley Stahl, a 35-year veteran of the show. People familiar with the situation told Status that Stahl, 84, privately discussed quitting after a clash over a report on violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, according to the Daily Beast.

As Globe previously reported, Weiss has faced criticism over her leadership style amid declining ratings and staff departures at CBS News. One insider told Page Six that Weiss “doesn’t listen to anyone,” while another defended her as receptive to employees’ ideas. The network’s ratings struggles have extended beyond 60 Minutes, with CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News also experiencing year-over-year declines, the outlet reported.

Former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired in June after accusing Weiss of “murdering” the program during a June 1 staff meeting. “She does not love this place, she was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that,” Pelley said, according to The New York Times.

Still, CBS News is standing by 60 Minutes. Jeremy Adler, the network’s senior vice president of communications, said, per the Daily Beast: “This week’s 60 Minutes was the week’s #1 news program across viewers, adults 18+ and adults 25-54, and was the week’s #1 non-sports primetime program in viewers and adults 18+ for the fourth time this season.”