CBS News boss Bari Weiss blindsided “60 Minutes” legend Lesley Stahl by handing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first major US broadcast interview since the Iran war to Major Garrett — a CBS News veteran who isn’t part of the iconic show’s correspondent roster, according to a report.
The decision stunned staffers because Stahl, the longtime “60 Minutes” star, had spent months trying to land the Netanyahu sit-down, according to the Status newsletter. She was bypassed in favor of Garrett — a respected Washington journalist who is currently chief White House correspondent at CBS News.
The move marked the second time in recent months that Weiss reportedly secured a marquee interview for “60 Minutes” only to hand the assignment to Garrett instead of one of the program’s own correspondents.
In March, Weiss tapped Garrett to interview Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — then instructed that the high-profile sitdown air on “60 Minutes” despite Garrett not being one of the program’s correspondents, according to Status.
According to Status, tensions erupted after Weiss personally booked Netanyahu for the interview and once again assigned Garrett to conduct it rather than Stahl or another “60 Minutes” correspondent.
The move reportedly sparked frustration among correspondents and producers, who viewed Netanyahu as having effectively gone around the traditional “60 Minutes” team with Weiss’ assistance.
Some staffers believed Netanyahu preferred Garrett because he was viewed as a more agreeable interviewer, according to the report.
Status also reported that executive producer Tanya Simon resisted airing the interview on “60 Minutes” and floated the possibility of placing it on another CBS News program instead.
But logistical complications — including Garrett not arriving in Israel until late Thursday and Netanyahu being unavailable Friday — ultimately narrowed the broadcast window, leaving “60 Minutes” as the only viable landing spot for the Saturday interview, according to the report.
A CBS News spokesperson told The Post: “It’s the editor in chief’s job to make decisions about bookings and interviews. Major is a world-class journalist and did a tough, fair, and newsmaking interview.”
The latest reported flare-up comes as Weiss has increasingly asserted editorial control over “60 Minutes” and CBS News, alarming staffers already rattled by reports of looming shakeups and possible departures.
As previously reported by The Post, Weiss has drawn backlash after shelving “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s controversial CECOT prison report and is reportedly preparing sweeping changes to the storied program — with Alfonsi’s contract set to expire amid uncertainty about her future.
Alfonsi has since retained high-profile attorney Bryan Freedman — whose past clients include Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon — as she braces for a possible exit from the network when her contract expires later this month, according to Page Six Hollywood.
Critics inside CBS News have also accused Weiss of attempting to remake the newsroom in line with her ideological worldview, particularly regarding Israel coverage.
The Free Press co-founder has faced internal resistance from staffers concerned that her strong pro-Israel views are influencing editorial decisions at the Tiffany Network.
Last month, The Post reported that CBS News ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after she allegedly clashed with Weiss over the network’s coverage of Iran and Gaza.
Sources said Day had pushed back against Weiss during editorial calls over Middle East coverage, while critics inside CBS accused the network of applying an ideological “purity test” under Weiss’ leadership.
Last October, The Post reported that Weiss intervened to save the job of pro-Israel correspondent Chris Livesay after he lobbied her directly over concerns he was being sidelined because of his views — while veteran foreign correspondent Debora Patta was ultimately pushed out during network layoffs.
