Amid promises of change, CBS News replaced its embattled “60 Minutes” executive producer — who oversaw the edited Kamala Harris interview — with another registered Democrat.
CBS News announced Thursday that “60 Minutes” interim executive producer Tanya Simon would become the official executive producer, replacing Bill Owens. Simon, who is the daughter of the late CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, has been a veteran of the show for 25 years and is now its fourth executive producer in the show’s decades-long history.
“Tanya Simon understands what makes 60 MINUTES tick. She is an innovative leader, an exceptional producer and someone who knows how to inspire people,” president and executive editor of CBS News Tom Cibrowski said in a press release. “Tanya knows that the success of today’s 60 MINUTES depends on delivering a weekly mix of the most informative, impactful and entertaining stories and investigative journalism from around the world. This is the true essence and foundation of 60 MINUTES.”
However, with CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, officially securing its acquisition Thursday and vowing change at the network, Simon appears to be the same kind of leader as those in the past. Registered as a Democrat, Simon’s husband Evan Garfein has also donated a total of $2,320 to Democratic candidates and committees between 2019 to 2024, according to the Federal Election Commission.
According to public donation records, Garfein’s latest contribution was made in November 2024 to the major Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue for $100, with his largest donation made in 2019 to former Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper.
The announcement for Simon comes just months after Owens announced his departure from the show in April, saying that “60 Minutes” had lost journalistic independence. His exit came as Paramount was in acquisition talks with American media production and finance company Skydance, and amid a lawsuit from President Donald Trump.
In October 2024, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS after the network quietly edited an interview with Harris — allegedly to favor the then-vice president — as the campaigns were just a month out from Election Day.
At the time of the interview’s release, a clip of Harris’ exchange with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker was posted on a Sunday and made her response appear more concise compared to the full segment released a day later. Notably, also at the time of the interview’s release, Simon had been the show’s executive editor since April 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.
After Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Bredan Carr opened an investigation into the issue, CBS News released the full, unedited version of Harris’ interview in February. Additionally, vocal callouts of Owens began to circulate after the New York Post’s editorial board said that CBS News could fix its “lefty-propaganda problem” by cutting Owens loose.
Owens reportedly refused to apologize for the editing decisions made, allegedly telling staff that the company knew he wouldn’t be saying sorry for anything the show had done, according to The New York Times. Upon Owen’s departure, the former executive producer sent a memo to his staff, saying that it was “clear” he would “not be allowed to run the show” as he “always” had.
“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.
“Look, I have worked at CBS News for 37 years, more than half of that at 60 Minutes, I have been shot at and threatened with jail for protecting a source. I have overseen more than 600 stories as Executive Producer of 60,” Owens added. “I know who I am and what I have don[e] to cover the most important stories of our time under difficult conditions.”
On Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that CBS and its parent company had agreed to pay an additional $20 million on top of the $16 million they had already agreed to contribute toward his presidential library, bringing the total settlement to $36 million.
CBS said it made cuts to shows like late-night host Stephen Colbert’s due to financial concerns. Skydance secured its acquisition of Paramount Global, which includes subsidiaries such as the CBS broadcast network, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon. The official deal was made after Skydance pledged on Tuesday to do away with Paramount’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
In a letter sent to Carr, the company vowed to dismantle all DEI initiatives in place, which comes after a slew of private companies have followed Trump’s executive order eliminating DEI policies at the federal level.
Upon the announcement of the acquisition, Carr posted a statement to X, calling out how Americans “no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly.”
“It is time for a change. That is why I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network,” Carr wrote. “In particular, Skydance has made written commitments to ensure that the new company’s programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum.”
In addition to seeking to eliminate DEI policies, Skydance also committed to “addressing bias & restoring fact-based reporting” and “investing in trusted local news.”
“These changes would represent an important step towards earning back Americans’ trust. Will be watching,” Carr wrote on X.
CBS News and Simon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
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