Scott Pelley thanks supporters from sailboat after '60 Minutes' exit: ‘You are the wind in my sails’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former '60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley on Saturday, June 6, shared a new photo on Instagram showing him captaining a sailboat to thank his supporters following his recent departure from CBS.
The veteran journalist used the image to show his appreciation for those standing by him after he left '60 Minutes' last week. His post quickly drew thousands of reactions from fans who praised his work and offered messages of support.
Scott Pelley thanks supporters after '60 Minutes' exit
The photo shows a smiling Pelley steering a boat and looking ahead.
He leaned into the nautical theme of the picture by writing in his caption, “To all of you who have been so kind, you are the wind in my sails. So deeply grateful.”
This post arrived just a few days after he parted ways with the network.
His post on Instagram garnered about 80.8k likes and over 2k comments from followers appreciating his years of work on the show.
Scott Pelley clashes with CBS executives before departure
Pelley departed the network after he had a heated confrontation with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and new '60 Minutes' executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting.
During that meeting, Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the show.
Afterward, Weiss said that Pelley had “broken” their trust and claimed, “Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren’t able to do so, and so we had to part ways. We did not want that to happen, but that’s the path that he chose.”
Scott Pelley disputes CBS leadership's version of events
Pelley publicly disputed Weiss's version of events, calling her comments false.
In a statement, he said, “Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true. In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to ‘find a way back,’ as Weiss said in the editorial meeting.”
He also claimed that the executives refused to answer his questions about many things, including why other correspondents were fired.
He added, “I am pained the staff of CBS News was misled in the Wednesday morning conference call. These executives cannot gain the trust of the staff with lies. This is antithetical to everything we stand for and reveals contempt for what journalists do.”
This came after an earlier statement where Pelley said he was sickened by the departure, especially given his long history reporting from war zones.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump commented on the situation during a podcast, calling Pelley a “stiff” and criticizing him as part of the “crooked” mainstream press.
