Days after being fired for cause from CBS News following a reported outburst in a staff meeting meant to introduce new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton, Scott Pelley sat down with The New York Times for what amounted to an hour-long airing of grievances.
Pelley’s Claim
In an interview chock full of ‘did he really just say that?’ moments (case in point: likening his emotional state post-termination to his wife being murdered), it was Pelley’s claims about ‘service’ and his attempt to put himself on a higher footing than President Donald Trump that really got Megyn’s attention.
At one point, The Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked Pelley to react to comments the president had made about his firing. Initially, Pelley feigned ignorance.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: President Trump reacted to your being fired.
PELLEY: Did he?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: He went on a podcast and called you a stiff–
PELLEY: [chuckles] I’m surprised that the president of the United States would bother to notice, but okay. Please, please tell me. I’m not aware of this.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: He also said you were part of this gang of stupid, crooked people that don’t care about your country.
That is when Pelley’s ignorance shifted to arrogance. After laughing his way through the set-up, the former CBS Evening News anchor suddenly switched to a very serious and somber tone.
“Stupid? I can take that. Stiff? Yeah, probably,” Pelley began before the sniffles and throat clearing – which featured prominently into key parts of the interview – crept in. “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 foxholes 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.”
Megyn’s Take
Megyn, for one, was not willing to accept Pelley’s premise, and, on Monday’s show, she blasted the former 60 Minutes correspondent for his hubris. Below are her remarks, edited for length and clarity.
“You know what, Scott Pelley? There are a lot of ways to serve, as you yourself seem to be intimating. You didn’t don the uniform. Those acts were in service of journalism. That is why you did them. I don’t begrudge you any moment of it. How dare you begrudge Donald Trump for the sacrifices he has made.
Trump literally took a bullet for this country, so fuck off, Scott Pelley. The absolute arrogance and nerve of that asshole to suggest that, because Trump didn’t wear the military uniform, he has done nothing for America.
Donald Trump could be sitting in Scotland at [one of] his golf courses enjoying what is soon to be his eighties. He decided to come back and run again after having been impeached twice, besmirched, called a Nazi at every turn, seen his sons become the most subpoenaed presidential children in U.S. history, and, arguably, the most subpoenaed civilians in America. At the point he won reelection in November 2024, he had been nearly assassinated twice and had actually almost taken a bullet in the head. One did hit his ear…
You may not like him, but he has served.
And even now, I’m not, as you know, in favor of this war in Iran. But it is a call that our commander in chief made. And while you may not like the call, his command is to be respected. Once the call is made, you root for the Americans, as we have been doing here too.
It is not an easy job. He has a lot to balance. He has a lot on his plate. How dare you besmirch him because he never actually had a military uniform on, while aggrandizing yourself for going over to cover wars as a journalist. It is unbelievable.
This is the same thing we are seeing with some leftists now who are ripping on [Vice President] J.D. Vance because he was in the Marines but he was a correspondent. He was updating troops and others on what was happening in the war, as opposed to, like, on the front lines firing a gun. Who cares? Did you go? Most people didn’t go to Iraq. Most people didn’t go to Afghanistan. Stop…
It just sums up Scott Pelley’s arrogance. He wants to elevate himself over Donald Trump, who, by the way, not only has he literally endangered himself in an effort to serve in a job he doesn’t have to do and doesn’t need, but he actually is the sitting commander in chief.
So, stop. Don’t try to compare yourself to him and don’t suggest he hasn’t served. It isn’t true. He is serving right now as the commander in chief of the armed forces – and we are at war.
This is your problem, Scott Pelley. This is your problem. Your problem is not Bari Weiss. How about starting to show some of that care and family-life protection for the country instead of just some staffers over at CBS News?”
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,334 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.