NEW YORK (AP) — The main producer of “60 Minutes” announced on Tuesday that he will be leaving the program, stating that it has become evident that he will not be able to lead it as he has done in the past.
In a memo addressed to the staff, Bill Owens expressed that he could not make independent decisions based on what is right for the audience.
“Having defended this program —and what we represent— from all angles, with time and with all I could, I have decided to step aside so that the program can move forward,” he wrote in the memorandum, initially reported by The New York Times.
The program has been under attack from President Donald Trump, who sued the network for $20 billion due to the way it edited his interview with Kamala Harris last fall. CBS corporate leaders have negotiated a possible agreement with Trump, which Owens and others on the program have resisted.