“CBS Evening News” Anchor Tony Dokoupil Publicly Thanks Recently Fired Scott Pelley 'from All of Us' During Live Broadcast

Rachel McRadyThu, June 4, 2026 at 1:02 PM UTC

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Tony Dokoupil; Scott PelleyCredit: CBS Evening News; Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty -

Tony Dokoupil praised Scott Pelley's legacy on CBS, highlighting his dedication to journalism and mentoring new correspondents

Pelley was fired after a heated confrontation with new executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting

Pelley accused CBS of editorial interference, claiming his firing was to appease the Trump administration, which the network denies

CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil showed his respect and admiration for Scott Pelley during the Wednesday, June 3 broadcast.

Toward the middle of the show, Dokoupil covered Pelley's abrupt firing from 60 Minutes before praising his legacy on the network.

"When I started at CBS, Scott Pelley was in this very chair still doing a dozen stories a year for 60 Minutes," Dokoupil said. "And amid all of that, meeting every new correspondent to share his view of the mission here."

Tony Dokoupil at the Semafor World Economy 2026 summit on April 15Credit: Alex Wong/Getty

As for what Dokoupil viewed as Pelley's beliefs, the anchor said, "He believed Freedom of the Press, to quote [James] Madison, was the right that guaranteed all the others and that the stakes are always that high. And that if you made it to CBS News, you were among the best in the world. He worked every single day to live up to that standard."

Dokoupil then shared clips of several of Pelley's historic segments on CBS Evening News before noting that Pelley changed the news program's logo when he was on the anchor desk, omitting his own name and writing "CBS Evening News with All of Us."

"Well, Scott, from all of us, thank you," Dokoupil ended the segment in a clear show of support for Pelley.

Pelley was fired from CBS on Tuesday, June 2, following a heated confrontation with the show's new executive producer, Nick Bilton. He had been with the network since 1989.

Bilton — a former investigative tech journalist and filmmaker — was appointed as executive producer in late May 2026 as part of a major staffing overhaul at the legacy news program, which also saw Pelley's colleagues Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, and 60 Minutes boss Tanya Simon, leave.

Scott Pelley on '60 Minutes'Credit: Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty

In a termination letter obtained by PEOPLE on June 2, Bilton accused Pelley of "ambush" and "misconduct" following a staff meeting the day prior, which according to The New York Times, was intended as a formal introduction to Bilton.

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Bilton accused Pelley of hijacking his first meeting with staff in an effort to "disparage" him, his "qualifications" and his "intentions."

During the staff meeting, Bilton told employees that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss "loves 60 Minutes."

In response, the veteran journalist allegedly accused Weiss of "murdering" the legacy news program.

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"She does not love this place, she was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that," Pelley allegedly said, per The New York Times. "She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job. The changes that she's made at the Evening News have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?"

In a statement made after his firing, Pelley accused the network of trying to appeal to President Donald Trump.

"Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking," Pelley wrote.

CBS has previously denied the allegations of editorial interference, saying they were "not based in reality."

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”