Why did Bill Owens resign? 60 Minutes chief producer quits amid mounting editorial pressure 

Bill Owens, the executive producer at CBS News' Sunday show 60 Minutes, announced on Tuesday, April 22, that he plans to step down from his position. He cited the loss of independence and freedom to run the program that serves its longtime viewers as the reason behind his resignation.

In a meeting with the 60 Minutes crew members on April 22, Owens emotionally said it was evident that his time was up in the company. He said he realized over the last few months that he would no longer be allowed to run the program in its regular course, nor would he be able to make "independent decisions", fit for the show and its audience.

In an email addressed to his fellow staff that The NY Times obtained, Bill Owens wrote:

"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."

He reminisced about his time dedicated to the show in the email. Bill Owens shared that he spent 5 weeks "on the battlefield in Iraq" while his wife was pregnant with their daughter and his son was only 6 months old. At the time, Owens said his mother was also in a coma.

Bill Owens emphasized the importance of the program's continuation for the country's benefit. He affirmed:

"60 Minutes will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations. We will report from War zones, investigate injustices and educate our audience. In short, 60 Minutes will do what it has done for 57 years."

Bill Owens took over the role of executive producer on 60 Minutes in 2019. His career at the CBS network spans over 37 years so far. Speaking of the show, Owens told The Hollywood Reporter in an August 2024 interview:

"60 Minutes as a brand, its importance to viewers across platforms is immeasurable, and the strength of its distinctive, obviously memorable approach every Sunday night is without comparison."

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Bill Owens' decision seemingly comes after mounting pressure from parent company and Trump lawsuit

Bill Owens did not name the accurate inception of the issues 60 Minutes has faced over the past months, and curbed his journalistic freedom. However, in recent months, a lawsuit from President Donald Trump has loomed over the network.

In November 2024, Trump sued CBS over a Kamala Harris interview from October and asked for $10 billion in damages. The then-election candidate claimed CBS edited Harris's interview to mislead the public and influence their decisions.

CBS later denied Trump's claims, adding his lawsuit lacked reason:

"The Interview was not doctored; and 60 MINUTES did not hide any part of the Vice President’s answer to the question at issue. 60 MINUTES fairly presented the Interview to inform the viewing audience, and not to mislead it."

In February 2025, Donald Trump amended the filing to increase the amount to $20 billion. Responding to the complaint with their own filing, CBS called it "without basis in law or fact". The network accused Trump of trying to penalize the news portal for practicing its "constitutionally protected editorial judgments" due to his personal assumption.

CBS News criticized Trump and his officials for wanting to control "how a news organization may exercise its editorial judgment in the future." Bill Owens reportedly declared at the time that there would not be an apology from his part to the now-President to ease the settlement.

Despite CBS News wanting to dismiss the lawsuit, its parent company, Paramount Global, wanted to settle the legal filing through a mediator in March.

Paramount's non-executive chairwoman, Shari Redstone, reportedly needs Donald Trump to sanction the handover of her company to David Ellison-owned Skydance Media. It is reportedly a multibillion-dollar deal.

It is not certain whether Redstone's wish to settle the lawsuit influenced Bill Owens' decision to resign. Regardless, the 60 Minutes producer asked his fellow staff members not to follow in his footsteps in protest.