Add The New York Post on Google CBS News’ “60 Minutes” is planning to resurrect the closing commentary segment made famous by Andy Rooney — and has approached Jerry Seinfeld, John Cleese and Stephen A. Smith about taking turns behind the desk, according to a report.
The newsmagazine is bringing back “A Few Minutes” when its 59th season premieres Sept. 13, with a rotating cast of personalities expected to deliver the commentaries, Breaker Media reported.
Seinfeld, Cleese and Smith have all had discussions with CBS about participating, according to Breaker, though Seinfeld reportedly turned down the overture.
Cleese and Smith’s thoughts on the possible gig were not immediately known.
The revival marks a return to one of the most recognizable features in “60 Minutes” history as new executive producer Nick Bilton seeks to put his stamp on the program amid a tumultuous overhaul of its staff and correspondent ranks.
Rooney began delivering his famously curmudgeonly commentaries in 1978, offering observations on an eclectic range of subjects.
The feature became a fixture at the end of the Sunday broadcast for more than three decades.
Rooney left “60 Minutes” in 2011, a month before his death at age 92.
The idea of reviving the format has apparently been in the works for months.
Marketing professor and podcast host Scott Galloway previously revealed that CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss approached him about becoming a contributor before their conversations zeroed in on having him deliver a Rooney-style segment for “60 Minutes.”
Galloway previously told The Post that Weiss personally contacted him about getting involved with CBS News and that he subsequently discussed possible roles with the network.
“I am clearly not qualified to be one of their journalists,” Galloway said in early June.
“So on the phone we zeroed in on the potential of me contributing an Andy Rooney-like segment.”
Galloway said he even proposed an idea for a segment and received a text from Weiss indicating that they needed to discuss compensation, but the talks ultimately went nowhere.
The planned revival comes as Bilton rebuilds “60 Minutes” following one of the biggest personnel shakeups in the program’s history.
CBS News announced last month that former “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, who had been a contributing correspondent to “60 Minutes,” was being elevated to full correspondent.
New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat is also joining as a correspondent, while author and war reporter Sebastian Junger and journalist Gianna Toboni have been added as contributors.
British broadcaster Sir Trevor Phillips, whom Weiss recruited to CBS News as senior global affairs correspondent, will also contribute to the program.
Earlier this week, Bilton announced that longtime New Yorker staff writer Ariel Levy would join “60 Minutes” as a contributor, bringing another journalist from outside the traditional network television pipeline into the fold.
The influx follows a mass purge in May that saw Weiss fire executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich, veteran producer Guy Campanile and digital operations chief Matthew Polevoy.
Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley was fired shortly afterward following a confrontation with Weiss and Bilton during a staff meeting in which he accused Weiss of “murdering” “60 Minutes.”
Anderson Cooper separately ended his nearly two-decade relationship with the program, leaving Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim as the remaining correspondents from the previous lineup.
Bilton has described the journalists recruited for his revamped “60 Minutes” as “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences,” reflecting an effort to broaden the franchise beyond its traditional Sunday-night broadcast.
The Post has sought comment from CBS News, Seinfeld, Smith and Cleese.
