A day after “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens abruptly quit the venerable news show last week, he was spotted lunching at the Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side with CBS News president Wendy McMahon.
A source told Page Six that they spotted McMahon at the Mark Bar area at lunchtime when Owens came in and met her. The hotel is known as the home to the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges, as well as the Mark Bar.
The witness saidthey also saw Owens head outside to the hotel’s seasonal Jean-Georges hot dog stand — where tube steaks go for six bucks and are served with Kimchi relish and other condiments.
We hear McMahon was also spotted at the Mark having drinks with CBS News staffers a day earlier, after Owens’ exit was announced, after what an insider called a long day at the network.
Owens said he is leaving due to a loss of journalistic independence, as CBS’s parent company, Paramount, looks to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump.
Owens started his career at CBS as an intern back in 1988, and took over “60 Minutes” in 2019.
McMahon praised Owens in a memo, telling staffers: “Standing behind what he stood for was an easy decision for me, and I never took for granted that he did the same for me.”
On Sunday night, “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley launched an on-air attack on CBS’ parent company, alleging Paramount interfered with the program’s coverage, The Post reported.
The anchor began what appeared to be a simple tribute to Owens, but then took aim at Paramount.
“Bill resigned Tuesday — it was hard on him and hard on us,” Pelley said in his remarks on the show. “But he did it for us, and you,” he told viewers.
Pelley then surprisingly added: “Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger … Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways.” He added that while “none of our stories have been blocked,” Owens had “felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
“No one here is happy about it. But in resigning, Bill proved one thing — he was the right person to lead ’60 Minutes’ all along,” Pelley said.
Owens exited following a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump accusing the program of “unlawful and illegal behavior” for what the president claims was deceptive editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last October.
The Mark is known as a spot for celebs to get ready for the Met Gala, including Kylie Jenner, Cardi B and Emily Ratajkowski, and where Meghan Markle had her over-the-top baby shower in 2019.
The hotel is also known for having a $75,000-per-night penthouse, as well as the NYC outpost of fancy French favorite Caviar Kaspia.
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