A termination letter from the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, has surfaced and states that Scott Pelley made himself impossible to work with, resulting in immediate termination for cause.
The letter reveals that Bilton invited Pelley to dinner but was “profoundly disappointed” when Pelley rejected the overture and instead chose a public ambush. Pelley is accused of hijacking Bilton’s first staff meeting to disparage his qualifications and intentions with “remarkable incivility and contempt.”
Bilton wrote: “It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead. Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.” He further described Pelley’s actions as a “performative display of hostility” enacted in front of colleagues rather than in a civil, private conversation.
The termination notice states that Pelley demonstrated no interest in contributing to the show’s future or approaching Bilton’s new tenure with openness. Bilton noted he had made repeated attempts to engage directly with Pelley but was met with public confrontation.
Pelley has responded by saying the letter shows a “complete misunderstanding” of what 60 Minutes works for and lives for.
