’60 Minutes’ host Scott Pelley claims diversity is ‘illegal’

CBS News and “60 Minutes” host Scott Pelley delivered a speech to university graduates that was pro-free speech and seemingly against President Donald Trump’s administration.

The 67-year-old spoke at Wake Forest University’s Commencement on May 19 in what was an incredibly performative address, discussing fascism, free speech, and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘Diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word.’

After several jokes bombed with the audience of heat stroke-adjacent graduates, the crowd cooked in the 84-degree weather as Pelley flamboyantly raved about his work in astronomy, his travel to the United Kingdom, and his interview with the Ukrainian leader.

Pelley then warned onlookers that many would not like what he had to say before delving into commentary about how the “sacred rule of law is under attack” in the United States.

“Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack, and insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts,” he said.

The reporter then seemed to direct his words at Trump and his administration, albeit without naming the sitting president.

RELATED: It’s a crime to lie or insult a politician online in Germany, prosecutors tell ’60 Minutes’

“The fear to speak in America,” Pelley said, emphasizing the audacity of the idea.

Waving his arms in the air and gesturing as if he were in a Broadway play, Pelley accurately stated that “power can rewrite history with grotesque, false narratives.”

“They can make criminals heroes, and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality,” he continued.

Then, revealing his progressive bias, Pelley claimed that “diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word.”

The Texan added, “This is an old playbook, my friends. There’s nothing new in this.”

RELATED: CBS News chief exec steps down amid tensions from Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit

President Donald Trump addresses graduates at West Point in Michie Stadium, May 24, 2025. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

In response to a clip of the speech, Fox News reporter Guy Benson pointed out that “60 Minutes” aired a glowing segment about Germany’s anti-free speech policies in February, noting that it included “ZERO dissenting voices” and not even “one quote against censorship.”

During the segment, CBS host Sharyn Alfonsi asked a panel of German lawyers if it was a crime in their country to insult someone in public.

“Yes. Yes. It is,” was their reply; they also agreed it was a crime to insult someone online.

Josephine Ballon, one of the prosecutors, also said, “Without boundaries, a very small group of people can rely on endless freedom to say anything they want, while everyone else is scared and intimidated.”

Pelley’s remarks at Wake Forest could not be categorized as anti-free speech though, and actually mirrored a typical pro-America diatribe.

“Your country needs you and needs you today,” Pelley told the audience. “America works well when we listen to those we disagree with … and have common ground and compromise.”

However, the host’s words included a progressive twist at almost every turn — and perverted the reality of who or what is standing in the way of true free speech.

“One thing we can all agree on, one thing at least,” he said. “America is at her best when everyone is included.”

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