Sharyn Alfonsi, a veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent who has worked on the venerable newsmagazine since 2015, said Wednesday she believes CBS News has removed her from the program after she raised issues about the way Bari Weiss, the news division’s editor in chief, handled an Alfonsi report about how the U.S. deported Venezuelan men to a harsh prison in El Salvador.

Alfonsi remains an employee at CBS News, but her contract at “60 Minutes” expired earlier this month, according to two people familiar with her situation, CBS News executives have made no effort to contact her representatives at the large talent agency UTA to renew terms.

CBS News declined to make executives available for comment. Alfonsi said in a statement that “repeated attempts by my representation to establish a path forward were met with absolute silence from network executives. The message could not be clearer: my time at ’60 Minutes’ is apparently over.”

Her exit from the show was unveiled on a day that might normally have been used for celebration at CBS News and other mainstream news organizations. The 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards are slated to be take place Wednesday evening in New York.

The imbroglio marks yet another controversy in the early tenure of Weiss, who was installed as CBS News’ editorial leader last year, and has demonstrated a noticeable lack of knowledge about how to maintain TV programming. Weiss articulated a plan earlier this year to put a new spotlight on experts in specific subjects and spur provocative conversations with newsmakers, but many of her efforts have been perceived as giving more air time to Trump administration officials and conservative stalwarts.

Meanwhile, under her aegis, ratings for two of CBS News’ flagship programs — “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings” — have slumped, falling even further behind rival shows at ABC News and NBC News.

Weiss wants to overhaul “60 Minutes,” and people familiar with the show suggest she would like to break down some of the walls that have long separated the program from the rest of CBS News. In recent weeks, CBS News correspondents like Major Garrett have won time on the show, and Norah O’Donnell has also made appearances.

There has been some speculation that other longtime “60 Minutes” staffers may be diminished. Tanya Simon, who was named executive producer of the series last year,  could be removed from the role later this year if CBS News executives decline to renew a one-year deal that put her in the job, according to three people familiar with the matter. Such speculattion raises the prospect that CBS News managers could place an outsider — a person with no ties to the show — in charge of “60 Minutes” for the first time in its history.

At issue in the squabble between Alfonsia and Weiss was a late 2025 story about migrants being shipped by the U.S. to harsh imprisonment in El Salvador. Weiss ordered the work held after it had already been promoted in public circles, calling for Alfonsi to get comment from Trump officials after she had already made efforts to do so. The move drew new inquiry because it had the appearance of trying to placate the Trump administration over a story officials might not find favorable. The segment appeared during a January, 2026, telecast and Weiss acknowledged she drew unwanted attention because she was unfamiliar with some of the news outlet’s processes.

“60 Minutes” has been under intense scrutiny for months. The show was turned into a bargaining chip between Paramount’s previous managers and the Trump administration, which leveraged a $16 million settlement to President Donald Trump to end what has been viewed in many legal circles as a flimsy lawsuit tied to a pre-Election Day interview between Bill Whitaker, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount made the deal as it sought to complete its sale to Skydance.

As a result, two senior CBS News executives — Owens, the former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” and Wendy McMahon, the former CEO of CBS News, local stations and syndication — suggested in remarks that they could no longer push back against corporate mandates they felt would weaken the newsroom. Both left CBS News last year.

More recently, Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor who has been a longtime contributor to the show, said in February that he would leave the program. During his last appearance on “60 Minutes,” Cooper appeared to warn of the effects of reworking “60”: “Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains,” Anderson said in an address to viewers “I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical.”

More to come…