Scott Pelley: Complaints to execs about ‘hostile’ workplace led to ouster from CBS Evening News

“60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley on Sunday attributed his ouster at “CBS Evening News” to his series of complaints about a “hostile” work environment at CBS.

Pelley, speaking on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” said he was forced out as anchor of the network’s flagship evening news program in 2017 because he continued to alert higher-ups of the problematic environment. Pelley was the anchor of the evening news for six years before his exit.

“We’ve been through a dark period of the last several years of incompetent management and sort of a hostile work environment within the news division,” Pelley said. “I lost my job at the evening news because I wouldn’t stop complaining to management about the hostile work environment.”

{mosads}He said that he took his complaints directly to the president of the news division at CBS, who told him if he continued complaining he would lose his job.

“Having exhausted the possibilities in the news division, I went to the chairman of the CBS Corporation who listened to me very concerned for an hour, asked me some penetrating questions about what was going on,” Pelley said. “I didn’t hear back from him, but in the next opportunity in my contract I was let go from the evening news.”

A CBS News spokesperson later pushed back on Pelley’s comments.

“Scott was expressing his own opinion. We disagree,” the spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “CBS News has been working hard to advocate for an inclusive, safe and dignified workplace for everyone at CBS News and Scott has been a supporter of these efforts.”

Pelley went on to applaud the turnaround the network has made with new leadership and executives in place.

CBS has experienced a major overhaul in both the news department and company as a whole.

Former Chairman and CEO Les Moonves resigned from CBS in September amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct towards women.

Other top names to exit the company include former longtime “CBS This Morning” co-host Charlie Rose and former “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager, who worked alongside Pelley.

Updated May 28, 1:53 p.m.