60 Minutes correspondents roster adds Ross Douthat and more
CBS says Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips are joining 60 Minutes in on-air roles.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The 60 Minutes correspondents roster is getting a fresh jolt: CBS says Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips are joining the long-running newsmagazine as correspondents or contributors.
Nick Bilton, the show’s executive producer, announced the additions Tuesday. The new arrivals join a bench that already includes veteran correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim.
Bilton also said Norah O’Donnell, who had been a contributing correspondent, will have a larger role on the broadcast. He said O’Donnell will now be a correspondent on 60 Minutes, while continuing to appear across CBS and after launching a new podcast.
Who is joining 60 Minutes?
Douthat, a New York Times Opinion columnist, is joining 60 Minutes as a correspondent. Bilton described him as a major public thinker and pointed to his interviews with figures including Vice President JD Vance, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, political commentator Hasan Piker and former Sen. Ben Sasse.
Junger is coming aboard as a contributor. He is the author of The Perfect Storm, which became a major work of reported nonfiction, and he has also worked as a documentary filmmaker, broadcast journalist and war correspondent. Bilton noted that Junger’s books have reached bestseller lists and said his reporting style will carry into his work for the program.
Toboni will also contribute to 60 Minutes. She previously worked with VICE News and CNN, and Bilton cited her reporting on subjects including ISIS, cartel violence in Mexico, mass shootings in the United States and the death penalty.
Her book, The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty in America and One Inmate’s Quest to Die with Dignity, was also mentioned in CBS’s announcement as part of her investigative background.
Phillips, a former Sky News presenter, will contribute to 60 Minutes as well. CBS News had already named him senior global affairs correspondent. Bilton said Phillips is known in the United Kingdom for tough interviews and holding powerful people to account.
What the new roles mean
A correspondent is an on-air journalist who regularly reports stories for a broadcast. A contributor typically appears in a more flexible role, filing or presenting work as part of the program’s wider reporting mix.
The announcement gives 60 Minutes a broader lineup across politics, foreign affairs, culture, conflict reporting and investigations. CBS did not include specific debut dates for the new correspondents and contributors in the announcement.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.