Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft told Bill O’Reilly on the “We’ll Do It Live!” podcast that he “hated” his time on the CBS newsmagazine, calling the job relentless, competitive and emotionally intense.
Kroft said the work consumed him “24 hours a day” — travel, interrupted sleep, nonstop beepers, days spent writing scripts and attending screenings — before repeating the cycle. He praised the show’s leadership for valuing “good stories” and said the program’s exposure made reporting “exhilarating,” even after dangerous assignments that left reporters “excited about the fact that you’re alive.”
Kroft also described how contentious it was to join the 60 Minutes newsroom. After he was chosen in 1989, colleagues who wanted the slot reacted with jealousy, turning the workplace into what he called “a snake pit” and leaving him with enemies.
Kroft retired from CBS in 2019 at age 73 after 30 seasons as the show’s longest-tenured correspondent. His career highlights include interviewing Hillary Clinton during Bill Clinton’s presidency, producing a report on insider trading that helped prompt congressional reform, and interviewing President Barack Obama 11 times.