If you’ve watched a single episode of 60 Minutes in the last two decades, you know the voice. It’s authoritative, a bit gravelly, and carries the weight of someone who’s seen too much of the world to be easily fooled. But lately, as the 2025-2026 television season rolls on, a specific question has been popping up in living rooms and search bars across the country: Just what is the age of Scott Pelley, and is the veteran newsman finally ready to hang up his microphone?
He looks good. Honestly, he looks like he hasn't aged much since he was anchoring the CBS Evening News. But the numbers don’t lie, even if the high-definition cameras are kind.
The Real Numbers
Scott Pelley was born on July 28, 1957. If you’re doing the math right now, that makes him 68 years old. As of January 2026, he is rapidly approaching his 69th birthday this coming summer.
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It’s a bit of a milestone year.
Most people his age are deep into retirement, maybe obsessing over a golf handicap or finally reading that stack of books on the nightstand. Pelley? He’s still flying into war zones and sitting across from world leaders. It’s sort of wild when you think about it. He’s been a reporter for over 50 years. He started as a 15-year-old copy boy at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Think about that for a second. While most of us were worried about driver's ed, he was already in a newsroom.
Why the Age of Scott Pelley Matters in 2026
You might wonder why anyone cares about a journalist's birth year. Usually, we don't. But the media landscape in 2026 is, frankly, a mess. Between the Paramount-Skydance merger and the constant shuffling of news anchors, Pelley represents a kind of "North Star" for traditional reporting.
His age is synonymous with experience.
When he interviewed President Joe Biden about the Gaza war or sat down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a blacked-out bunker, his age wasn't a liability. It was his superpower. You can’t fake that level of "seen-it-all" calm. Younger reporters are great for energy, sure, but Pelley has the institutional memory of the Cold War, the Gulf War, and 9/11 (where he was actually at the World Trade Center when the North Tower collapsed).
The Longevity Secret
So, how does a guy keep this pace up at nearly 70?
He isn't just coasting on his reputation. Pelley is famously disciplined. If you look at his career trajectory—from San Antonio to Dallas to the White House and finally to the 60 Minutes chair in 2004—it’s been a steady climb. He’s won over 50 Emmy Awards. That’s not a typo. Fifty.
He’s also stayed married to the same woman, Jane Boone, since 1983. In the world of high-pressure TV news, where burnout and divorce are basically part of the job description, that kind of stability is rare. It probably helps keep him grounded when he’s jumping between time zones.
Retirement Rumors: Is He Leaving CBS?
Lately, the "age of Scott Pelley" conversations often turn into "when is he retiring?"
It makes sense. The industry is changing. We’ve seen major exits recently, like Bill Owens and Wendy McMahon, which Pelley himself called "heartbreaking." There was a lot of talk at the Walter Cronkite Awards in late 2025 about the "fraught time" journalism is facing.
But here’s the thing: Pelley seems energized by the chaos.
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Even with the new Paramount ownership, he’s gone on record saying there’s been "no corporate interference" in their reporting. He seems intent on proving that old-school, rigorous journalism can survive in the age of AI and 15-second TikTok news clips. He basically told an audience recently that they are doing the "same stories with the same rigor" as always.
What He’s Doing Now
If you think he’s slowing down because he’s nearly 70, look at his recent segments.
- War Reporting: He’s still hitting the ground in places like Ukraine.
- Corporate Accountability: He’s been vocal about the independence of 60 Minutes during the Skydance merger.
- Deep Tech: He’s been investigating Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) at Google DeepMind.
He’s not exactly knitting sweaters.
The Legacy of the "Last Professional"
There’s a reason people search for the age of Scott Pelley more than other anchors. He feels like one of the last links to the Walter Cronkite era. He actually won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2016 and again in 2025.
He represents a bridge.
He grew up in the era of film and typewriters but is now reporting on silicon intellects. That’s a massive span of human history to cover in one career. Most people would have checked out years ago. Pelley seems to view his age as a reason to stay more involved, not less. He’s the guy who reminds the room what happens when you lose "the independence that honest journalism requires."
Actionable Insights for News Consumers
Since you're clearly interested in the career of a journalism heavyweight, here is how to actually value that experience in your own media diet:
- Look for the "Why" behind the age: When watching Pelley, notice how he uses historical context. He doesn't just report what happened today; he compares it to what happened 30 years ago. That’s the value of a 68-year-old brain in a 24-hour news cycle.
- Verify the Source: In an era of deepfakes (especially in 2026), sticking to veterans who have a 50-year track record of accuracy is a safety net.
- Support Long-Form: The best way to ensure reporters like Pelley stay on the air is to actually watch the long-form segments. The "instant news" culture is what pushes veteran journalists toward retirement; deep-dive viewers keep them in the chair.
Scott Pelley might be 68, but in the world of broadcast news, he’s still the one setting the pace. Whether he hits 70 in the field or decides to finally take a breath, his impact on how we see the world is already permanent.
Next Step: To see his most recent work in action, you should check out his January 2026 report on the U.S. investigation into Venezuela, which showcases exactly why his experience still matters.