The veteran journalist spent 30 years on the CBS newsmagazine, retiring in 2019.

60 Minutes host Steve Kroft says he ‘hated’ time on show, ‘made a bunch of enemies’ when he landed gig

The veteran journalist spent 30 years on the CBS newsmagazine, retiring in 2019.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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April 6, 2026 1:11 p.m. ET

Steve Kroft and Bill O'Reilly on 'We'll Do It Live!'. Credit:

Bill O'Reilly/YouTube

- Steve Kroft is reflecting on his 30 years at *60 Minutes*, calling the cutthroat TV news industry "a snake pit."

- When asked if he would take the job again, Kroft answered, "No."

- Kroft joined *60 Minutes *in 1989 and retired in 2019.**

Steve Kroft isn't looking back fondly at his time on *60 Minutes*.

While chatting with Bill O'Reilly on the April 2 episode of *We'll Do It Live!*, the retired journalist revealed what it was like working on the CBS news program. O'Reilly asked if Kroft made any "real friends" during his time at CBS. "A few," Kroft, who retired in 2019, said. "But it's not easy to make friends in the television news industry, right?" O'Reilly asked.

"No, it's not. And I'm being honest, and goes back to what I said earlier: If people seem really friendly, you need to check your wallet," Kroft said, noting that it becomes competitive between reporters looking for the best story in the cutthroat industry.

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"I can remember when I was tapped to go to *60 Minutes*, I thought this was fantastic. And I expected [that] a lot of people would just come up and say, 'That's really great. I'm really happy for you... And then you realize after a while that not everybody was happy that I got this job," Kroft continued.

"There were other people that wanted [the job], and so then you've all all of a sudden made a bunch of enemies... it's a snake pit."

Kroft on 'We'll Do It Live!' and during his time at '60 Minutes'.

Bill O'Reilly/YouTube; Everett

O'Reilly then asked Kroft, "if you had to do it again, would you do it again?"

"No, I probably wouldn't do it again," Kroft admitted. "I hated it. Look, the best job I ever had at CBS was when I was correspondent at the London bureau and got to see the world. That was the job I always wanted. *60 Minutes *was really appealing, and I thought I wasn't really sure I was ever gonna get there. I didn't really seriously think about it."

Kroft said that the work for *60 Minutes *was nonstop. There was traveling, writing, attending screenings, and much more. Once one episode was set, Kroft was then "starting it all over again."

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"It was exhilarating," Kroft noted. "The reason I loved the job was because of the stories that I could do and the fact that they liked good stories... I was kind of at a disadvantage. I was the first person on that show that had not been an anchorman, wasn't really well known. I'd been a lot on the evening news and I had been at *West 57th*, but I had to keep doing it."

Kroft also admitted that he "probably" got addicted to the job. "You get excited about the fact that you're still alive," he quipped.

O'Reilly interviews Kroft.

Bill O'Reilly/YouTube

The veteran newscaster and five-time Peabody Award winner joined *60 Minutes *in 1989. Throughout his tenure on the newsmagazine program, Kroft interviewed Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, along with late Senator Bob Dole, Clint Eastwood, and Woody Allen. He retired in 2019 after 30 years on the program.

See Steve Kroft's full conversation with Bill O'Reilly below.

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