Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and Tanya Simon were recently ousted from 60 Minutes as part of a major shakeup at CBS News under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
This overhaul, announced around May 28, 2026, also included the departure of senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich. CBS appointed outsider Nick Bilton (a former New York Times tech journalist, Vanity Fair columnist, author, and filmmaker with no prior broadcast news experience) as the new executive producer for the show’s 59th season starting in fall 2026.
The moves reflect efforts to address declining viewership (from peaks over 20 million in earlier decades to around 6-8 million recently), adapt to changing media consumption, and respond to questions about editorial independence amid corporate and political pressures.
Sharyn Elizabeth Alfonsi (born June 3, 1972) is a veteran investigative journalist with nearly 20 years at CBS News, including more than a decade as a 60 Minutes correspondent (starting in 2015). She grew up near Washington, D.C., in an Italian-American family, attended high school in McLean, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a B.S. in political science and journalism.
Her career began in local news (e.g., reporting, weather, and editing in Arkansas), moved to CBS (starting 2004 as a New York correspondent), then ABC, before returning to CBS. At 60 Minutes, she focused on investigative pieces, profiles, war zone reporting (e.g., Afghanistan withdrawal), and stories like the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and Parkland survivors (earning multiple Emmys, a duPont-Columbia Award, and others).
Her exit stemmed from a public feud with Bari Weiss over a December 2025 segment on Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison. The story was delayed (reportedly for an on-camera Trump admin interview), which Alfonsi criticized as political interference and corporate meddling. Her 60 Minutes contract expired without renewal; she was formally fired on May 28, 2026, though she remained an at-will CBS employee briefly. She publicly warned of a “chilling message” to the newsroom about lost independence.
Cecilia Marcellina Vega (born January 7, 1977) is an Emmy-winning journalist and the first Latina to serve as ABC’s chief White House correspondent. She joined 60 Minutes as a correspondent in March 2023 after 12 years at ABC News (where she also co-anchored Good Morning America and Saturday World News Tonight). A San Francisco Bay Area native of Mexican and Italian descent, she grew up in a blue-collar family, graduated from American University, and started in print (e.g., San Francisco Chronicle) before local TV (KGO-TV) and national roles.
She covered major stories including elections, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S.-Mexico border, and global events, while mentoring Hispanic journalists (named National Latina Journalist of the Year in 2024). Her 60 Minutes tenure was shorter; she was fired on May 28, 2026 (with nearly a year left on her contract until 2027). Vega criticized the network for “imposed and self-driven” censorship and expressed fears for the program’s future.
Tanya Simon is a longtime 60 Minutes producer (over 25-30 years) and the first woman to serve as its executive producer (named in 2025 after serving as interim following Bill Owens’ resignation). She is the daughter of legendary 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon (who died in 2015). She graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in comparative literature and began at CBS in 1996 as a researcher for 48 Hours, rising to producer roles and contributing to major stories (e.g., 9/11 with Ed Bradley).
She was ousted today, May 28, 2026, as part of the broader changes. Her departure marked a shift from internal veteran leadership.
60 Minutes remains CBS’s flagship Sunday newsmagazine but is undergoing significant changes in leadership and talent to “modernize” it, expand across platforms/days, and adapt to audience shifts. Core correspondents like Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, and Bill Whitaker are expected to continue, with potential additions (e.g., more from CBS like Major Garrett or Norah O’Donnell). Anderson Cooper had already announced his exit.
The shakeup has drawn criticism from some inside the program and journalism circles over perceived threats to independence, while others (e.g., some conservative voices) see it as necessary refreshment. As of late May 2026, the 2025-26 season had just ended, with the new era under Bilton beginning in the fall.
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The pot calls the kettle
Duke Stern • May 28, 2026
Longtime propagandists, Katie Couric and Jim Acosta worry that CBS and CNN will become propaganda arms of the Trump administration. What has MSNBC, CNN and most of the news media been during the Obama and Biden admins? Propaganda outlets for Obama and Biden.