New ’60 Minutes’ boss Nick Bilton storms out of staff meeting after explosive clash with Scott Pelley

Nick Bilton — a 49-year-old tech journalist who was named the new boss of “60 Minutes” in a major reshuffle — stormed out of a meeting with the storied news magazine’s staffers following a heated exchange with correspondent Scott Pelley, sources told The Post.

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In a Monday morning meet-and-greet that went wrong, Pelley laced into Bilton, telling the new executive producer — who was handpicked last week to lead the show by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss — that “nobody wants him there,” a source with knowledge said.

Pelley likewise took aim at Weiss, slamming her management and mission for CBS News, according to sources. He demanded that Bilton and Weiss’ deputy Charles Forelle, who was also at the meeting, explain last week’s firings of the show’s top producers including Tanya Simon, as well as reporters Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

After Bilton gave what one source called a “lame” answer, the 68-year-old Pelley fired back, “You wouldn’t do very well in a ’60 Minutes’ interview,” according to a source briefed on the meeting.

“Scott, I’m not intimidated by you,” a ticked-off Bilton said in response, according to a second source. “Enjoy the bagels,” Bilton added before getting up and leaving the room, the source said.

“The room erupted into applause and Nick definitely heard it,” the source added.

Network sources said Weiss and Bilton had reached out unsuccessfully to Pelley over the weekend to avoid such a catastrophe, adding that the correspondent is “valued” and that they respect his “passion” and “commitment” to the show.

A source close to the situation said Weiss was advised not to attend the meeting.

Neither Pelley nor CBS commented.

Pelley also asked Bilton how he would improve on the job Simon did, but Bilton did not answer, a source told The Post.

During the heated exchange, the Guardian reported, Pelley said of Weiss: “She’s murdering ’60 Minutes.’ She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.”

According to the Guardian, Forelle accused Pelley of being rude, and Pelley punched back by saying that CBS News had been rude in the way it treated executive producer Simon, who was fired on Thursday.

A source at the network clarified that Bilton is hoping to build out a podcast for “60 Minutes” beyond the linear show.

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Bilton, a journalist with stints at the New York Times and Vanity Fair and a handful of producer credits on Netflix documentaries, replaced the well-liked Simon on Friday.

Weiss said she picked Bilton — an entreprenerial journalist with no TV or podcast experience — for his “ambition” and “energy,” but the choice ruffled the feathers of the rank and file.

Insiders said Simon bumped heads with Weiss. According to a source close to the situation, Simon “couldn’t control the staff” and was deemed a “bad leader” by Weiss as a result.

Along with Simon, Weiss ousted Simon’s No. 2, senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich, as well as senior producer Matthew Polvoy, correspondent Vega and veteran producer Guy Campanile, who sources said questioned Weiss harshly about her strategy for the show when she started at the network.

Upon her exit, Vega accused CBS leadership of attempting to censor her work and “insert political bias” into “60 Minutes” stories.

A CBS News spokesperson told The Post in a statement: “We respect Ms. Vega and her contributions, but her claims are not based in reality.”

Weiss also bumped heads with Alfonsi over her report on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison.

Alfonsi publicly accused Weiss of trying to “sanitize accurate reporting” after the CECOT segment was pulled at the last minute. The report ultimately aired weeks later with additional comments from the Trump administration attached.

The turmoil inside CBS News has fueled fears among staffers that editorial independence at “60 Minutes” is being eroded under Weiss, the former New York Times opinion editor and founder of the Free Press who was installed by Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison following the merger.

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