Last Sunday’s “60 Minutes” was touted for its 10.2 million rating.
But buyer beware: the Kansas City Chiefs game that it segued from had 28.5 million viewers. This means 18 million turned away from CBS rather than find out what Bari Weiss had scheduled for them. By the time “Marshalls” started following the newsmag, the number was down to 8.2 million.
Last week’s “60 Minutes” really lacked a news peg, too, or a connection to anything topical.
So far this Sunday’s show seems the same. Norah O’Donnell– derided already for her Air Force pilot story that included Pete Hegseth — is interviewing the head of the Secret Service and his assistant.
Who else will be in the piece? I shudder to think.
The Bill Whitaker will profile talented musician Jon Batiste. This seems unnecessary. We’ve already learned a lot about Batiste’s wife’s cancer battle, her recovery, but now we’ll get an update. As I wrote last week, Suleika Jaouad is back in the hospital, which is terrible but not a headline. The couple is promoting her new book and maybe adding a Grammy pitch for his new album. This feels more suited to CBS Sunday Mornings, but that’s where we are.
Meantime, conservative columnist Ross Douthat, who left the NY Times for “60 Minutes,” is really cross promoting all his careers. He’s got a book out, and he boasted this week about having a column in Bari Weiss’s “Free Press.” Of course, he fails to mention that Weiss is his boss at CBS, too.
Next week he’s setting up a lemonade stand on West 57th St. You know what they say: strike while the iron is hot.
In a rare joint interview, the Secret Service director and deputy director speak with 60 Minutes about the rise in political violence facing America’s leaders and the technology they’re deploying to combat it.
This Sunday, go behind the scenes with @NorahODonnell. https://t.co/e34BMfpphE
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 9, 2026
