What To Know
- Bill Maher responded bluntly to Scott Pelley’s firing from 60 Minutes, expressing support for the CBS shakeup.
- Sen. Chris Murphy argued that the move reflects a broader trend of media censorship and political influence.
- Maher remained skeptical of claims that 60 Minutes has become overtly partisan.
Bill Maher issued a blunt response to Scott Pelley‘s 60 Minutes firing on Real Time With Bill Maher.
On June 5, the stand-up comedian discussed the controversial move with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice. Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes on June 2, after 22 years, following critical remarks he made against the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, and CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
“What does the panel think of the recent shakeup at 60 Minutes? I’m for it,” Maher said during the “Overtime” segment of the CBS late-night show.
To that, Murphy countered, “Listen, you’re watching a censorship state be created. Trump is using the powers that he has available as president of the United States to install only friendly ownership at the big media companies. He’s using regulatory powers to punish people who oppose him.”
The senator added, “I guess it’s fascinating to me that, like, all our big institutions have kind of let us down, right? From academia to the corporate world to big media, they’ve all folded in with him.”
Still, as Murphy pointed out five months ahead of the 2026 midterms, “We might pull off a free and fair election. It’s kind of astounding that the people of this country, even as the corruption of our democracy happens in media, in the corporate world, even around Donald Trump‘s inner circle, the people have just decided they’re hanging on to this democracy.”
Maher was not on board, however. He responded, “That’s a big charge that you just made — that 60 Minutes itself and CBS itself is now completely MAGA. I don’t see it that way.”
Although Murphy acknowledged that 60 Minutes “isn’t completely MAGA,” he insisted that President Trump is “clearly intent on installing people who will tell his story and will keep his critics off the air.”
As an avid viewer of the news magazine, Maher said he hasn’t noticed much of a change, admitting, “If I didn’t hear all the buzz in the media, if I didn’t read about it all the time, would I have ever noticed it was any different? I don’t think I would.”
Murphy then pointed out,“Part of it is you don’t know what they choose not to air, part of what the allegation is that they are killing stories that would be embarrassing for the president,” Murphy hit back. “So it’s hard to know what you’re missing in a censorship environment.”
To that, Maher said he has seen 60 Minutes episodes that are “not very favorable to the president.” He then declared, “I just don’t think being a 60 Minutes correspondent is that hard. I don’t feel like Scott Pelley was a national treasure.”
Maher continued, “Companies change hands all the time. I never liked him, sorry, I just never did. Just because something changes doesn’t mean… I feel like we see everything through such a partisan lens.”
Ultimately, Maher conceded, of Trump, “Yes, I agree. He’s a danger to media. He’s a danger to freedom of speech. But just 60 Minutes, I don’t know. And I’m not gonna make that decision until I see a smoking gun.”
Meanwhile, Pelley just sent a message to supporters after his 60 Minutes firing.
Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays at 10/9c, HBO
