Ousted “60 Minutes” anchor Scott Pelley teared up when he claimed during a recent interview that he had “been in combat for this country.”
Pelley was terminated “for cause” just days earlier by executive producer Nick Bilton, after blowing up at the network’s new leadership under Bari Weiss — and he got emotional when he responded to some of the comments President Donald Trump had made about him.
WATCH:
Fired 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley on the verge of tears:
“I’ve been in combat for this country. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Kuwait. Been shot at. Spent nights in fox holes filling up with water in the desert.” pic.twitter.com/me6BJ9Eetg
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 7, 2026
“He also said you were part go this gang of stupid crooked people that don’t care about your country,” interviewer Lulu Garcia-Navarro prompted Pelley.
“Stupid, I can take that. Stiff? Yeah, probably,” Pelley conceded, and then clearly struggled to get control of his emotions as he continued. “Don’t care about the country? I’ve never worn the uniform, but I’ve been in combat for this country. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Kuwait. Been shot at. Spent nights in fox holes filling up with water in the desert.”
“I’m not aware that the President of the United States has ever done any of those things for his country,” Pelley continued, still choked up a bit as he added, “Please correct me if I’m wrong.”
He went on to argue that people became journalists because they “love the First Amendment” and because they truly love the United States.
“While all the other descriptions that the president used about me might be applicable, not that one,” he said, his voice breaking.
During the same interview, Pelley claimed that the firings at CBS News — his and several others — were like the murders of close friends and family members.
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