Bari Weiss Assigns Major Garrett’s Netanyahu Interview on ‘60 Minutes’, Sparking Internal Tensions at CBS News

CBS News’ Major Garrett delivered a widely praised interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday’s ‘60 Minutes’, marking the leader’s first U.S. broadcast interview since the resumption of hostilities in Iran.

However, according to Status, Garrett was not originally slated to conduct the interview. Instead, Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, secured the interview and assigned it to Garrett, who then aired it on ‘60 Minutes’.

The decision has reportedly strained relations within the newsmagazine, as Garrett is not a regular correspondent for the show. Longtime correspondent Lesley Stahl and her team had been attempting to book Netanyahu for months.

“It’s the editor in chief’s job to make decisions about bookings and interviews.”
— CBS News spokesperson

The spokesperson added, “Major is a world-class journalist and did a tough, fair and newsmaking interview.”

Weiss’ Growing Influence Over ‘60 Minutes’ Sparks Internal Disputes

Weiss’ interventions into the newsmagazine have intensified as she prepares to overhaul the show at the end of its current season. The shake-up may result in the departure of at least one correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi.

During her roughly seven-month tenure, Weiss has taken several contentious actions, including temporarily halting an Alfonsi-led segment critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and delaying an Anderson Cooper-led segment examining the administration’s decision to accept white refugees from South Africa. Both moves reportedly frustrated the show’s staff. Cooper has announced he will leave the program after this season.

This is not the first time Weiss has secured an interview and assigned Garrett to conduct it. In March, Weiss booked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—CBS News’ most frequent broadcast guest—for a ‘60 Minutes’ interview, which was also assigned to Garrett, according to Status.

The Netanyahu interview has escalated tensions further due to Stahl’s long-standing efforts to secure the prime minister herself. The network considered airing the interview on another CBS News program, but Netanyahu’s availability was limited to Saturday, leading Weiss to ultimately schedule it on ‘60 Minutes’.