60-Minutes Ex-Producer Tell-All Targets Shari Redstone

Former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens is preparing a highly critical memoir about CBS News and its parent company Paramount, even as the network continues to pay out the remaining years of his multimillion-dollar contract under a separation agreement that includes a non-disparagement clause.

The arrangement, first reported by Puck News, has triggered internal concern at Paramount and CBS, where executives and lawyers are discussing whether Owens’ planned book violates the terms of his exit package and whether legal action is warranted.

Bill Owens

According to the book proposal obtained by Breaker Media, Owens accuses former Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone of caving to political pressure, claims corporate executives routinely interfered with “60 Minutes,” and charges that senior management prioritized merger politics over journalistic integrity. 

He also targets Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, describing Weiss as “an opinion writer who has made a name for herself by having a lot of opinions.”

Owens has already gone public with his criticisms. While accepting a New York Press Club award last month, he called Weiss “a fraud” and “an ideologue.”

Paramount agreed to continue the multimillion-dollar payments when Owens left the network in April 2024. He was required to sign a non-disparagement agreement as part of the deal. CBS television chief George Cheeks and network attorneys have at least considered taking legal action over the book, though both Paramount and Owens declined to comment.

Shari Redstone

Owens’ departure stemmed from a bitter dispute with Paramount’s previous leadership over what he saw as increasing corporate meddling in “60 Minutes” editorial decisions during the company’s effort to sell to Skydance. The conflict intensified around President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Redstone, eager to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance merger, pressured Owens and then-CBS News president Wendy McMahon to issue an apology and settle the case. Paramount ultimately settled for $16 million. Redstone later became more involved in reviewing programming and brought in veteran executive Susan Zirinsky to oversee standards following a controversial Gaza segment — moves Owens viewed as direct intrusions on his authority.

Zirinsky subsequently assigned producer Al Ortiz to vet every “60 Minutes” segment before broadcast.