Leftist comedian Bill Maher dismantled one Democratic senator’s pearl-clutching take on CBS News and “censorship.”
The firing of “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley came as a shock to Democrats, whose iron grasp on the media outlet has been threatened by CEO Bari Weiss and her desire to return to the roots of journalism. Particularly offended was Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who shared his opinion on the matter with a less-than-impressed Maher.
Watch:
Bill Maher repeatedly swats down Democrat senator’s claim that Trump is hijacking 60 Minutes to “tell his story.”
No matter which direction Chris Murphy turned, Maher kept getting in his way.
MURPHY: “You’re watching a censorship state… Trump is using regulatory powers to… pic.twitter.com/rS2ucGIroh
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 6, 2026
“What do you think of the shakeup at ’60 Minutes’?” Maher asked. “Big controversy.”
“You’re watching a censorship state be created,” the senator replied. “[President Donald] Trump is using the powers that he has available as president of the United States to install only friendly ownership at the big media companies. He’s using regulatory powers to punish people who oppose him.”
“That’s a big charge that you just made, that ’60 Minutes’ itself and CBS itself is now completely MAGA. I don’t see it that way,” Maher argued.
“It’s not completely MAGA,” the lawmaker retreated.
“Well, it’s kind of what you said,” Maher pressed.
“But he is clearly intent on installing people who will tell his story and will keep his critics off the air,” Murphy explained, prompting Maher to agree, but pose an interesting question.
“But let me ask you this question. I watch ’60 Minutes’ every week. I have since I was a kid. If I didn’t hear all the buzz in the media, if I didn’t read about it all the time, would I ever notice that it was any different? I don’t think I would.”
“Well, it’s not just ’60 Minutes’ and part of it is you don’t know what they choose not to air,” Murphy noted. “Part of what the allegation is, is that they are killing stories that would be embarrassing for the president. So it’s hard to know what you’re missing in a censorship environment.”
“But I’ve seen ones that are not very favorable to the president.” Maher pointed out. “That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know if I would have noticed anything different if I hadn’t been reading about it. Also, I just don’t think being a ’60 Minutes’ correspondent is that hard. I don’t feel like Scott Pelley was a national treasure. Companies change hands all the time- I’ve never liked him, sorry, I just never did.”
“Companies change hands, people bring in their own people, their new ownership. Just because something changes doesn’t mean, I feel like we see everything through such a partisan lens. ‘Oh my God, 60 Minutes has a new cast!’ So does Saturday Night Live,” the host quipped.
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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