“60 Minutes” Season Premiere Draws Lowest Ratings in Recent Memory, Down 21 Percent

Nielsen data shows the season premiere of “60 Minutes” lost roughly 21 percent of its viewers compared with a year earlier, registering the long-running program's lowest-rated premiere in recent memory. The decline was reported by The New York Times on September 15, 2026, following the network's September 13, 2026 broadcast of the season opener. Bari Weiss is identified in the coverage of the premiere and the ratings fallout. The roughly one-fifth drop in viewership marks a significant erosion for a broadcast that has long been a fixture of the television news landscape.