When the curtain dropped on 60 Minutes Sunday night, many viewers gasped.

Bill Owens, the show’s executive producer, had resigned, accusing CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, of interfering with editorial independence, correspondent Scott Pelley informed millions in a rare and public show of dissent.

"Bill resigned Tuesday. It was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us and you," Pelley said on air.

Owens, who had been the third executive producer in the 57-year history of 60 Minutes, resigned last week. He has served as executive producer since 2019.

When announcing his resignation on April 22, Owens said, "It had become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience."

In his statement, he said he no longer felt he had the independence to run the programme as he had in the past, and felt it was necessary.

Pelley said: "Stories we’ve pursued for 57 years were often controversial, lately the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair — he was tough that way."

Owens's departure comes as Paramount seeks federal approval for a planned merger with Skydance Media.

The Trump administration, which has its own tensions with 60 Minutes, is to approve the merger.

Donald Trump has sued 60 Minutes for $20 billion, alleging that an interview with Kamala Harris was edited unfairly to her advantage. CBS and Owens have denied the claim.

Pelley told viewers, "But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires."

At the end of his address, Pelley said, "No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing, he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along."

Lesley Stahl, a 60 Minutes correspondent for 35 seasons, also spoke about the situation.

"I had been made aware of interference in our news processes and calling into question our judgement. That is not the way that companies that own news organizations should be acting," she said in an interview with Variety.

Reactions poured in on social media after Pelley’s statement.

American author Don Winslow wrote on X, "HOLY S***! Did you see the end of @60Minutes tonight?"

The account Republicans Against Trump posted: "WOW. 60 Minutes directly criticised its parent company after the resignation of executive producer Bill Owens."