CBS is reeling after the executive producer of “60 Minutes” announced his resignation Tuesday, saying his editorial independence had been stripped amid mounting political and corporate pressure.

Bill Owens, who has led the iconic news program since 2019, told staff in a memo that “over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, 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,” Owens wrote in a message obtained by The New York Times.

The move comes months after “60 Minutes” aired a controversial interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign. Critics, including then-candidate Donald Trump, accused CBS of selectively editing the interview to protect Harris from scrutiny over her comments on Israel. Trump later filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS and demanded that the network be stripped of its broadcast license.

One major point of contention was a segment where Harris was asked about the U.S.’s ability to influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In her original, 179-word response, Harris said, “The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles,” before elaborating on how the U.S. engages diplomatically to align Israeli actions with American values.

22 June 2022; Bill Owens, Executive Producer of 60 Minutes, CBS News, on Fourth Estate Stage during day two of Collision 2022 at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Collision via Sportsfile

CBS, however, aired a much shorter version, cutting it down to, “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.” Trump

Trump didn’t hold back in the aftermath, accusing the program of “Election Fraud at a level never seen before.” On April 13, he again lashed out, writing on social media that “CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this.”

According to multiple reports, Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, has expressed a desire to settle the case as she pushes forward with a potential multibillion-dollar sale of the company to Skydance, a firm led by tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s son.

Owens reportedly resisted any form of apology or admission of wrongdoing, calling the editing of the Harris interview standard procedure and defending his team’s work. But with Trump allies at the Federal Communications Commission continuing to investigate the matter, and with Redstone now reportedly scrutinizing the show’s editorial decisions herself, the writing was on the wall.

Owens didn’t exit quietly. In his memo, he stood by the show’s legacy and pledged that “‘60 Minutes’ will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations. The show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”

Owens, who began his CBS career as a summer intern in 1988, previously led a revamp of “CBS Evening News” and was only the third person to oversee “60 Minutes” in its 57-year history.

As negotiations between Paramount and Trump continue, and as the FCC investigation looms, Owens’ departure marks the latest fallout in an increasingly tense standoff between the press and political forces, with one of America’s most iconic news programs caught squarely in the middle.

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