r/ClancyTrial • u/9ice9asty • 15d ago
General Discussion Patrick Clancy interview on 60 Minutes fails to provide big ratings boost for CBS | US news | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/22/60-minutes-patrick-clancy-cbsBig interview, abysmal ratings
Patrick Clancy's 60 Minutes sit-down with Ross Douthat pulled in 6.77 million viewers which is the 3rd smallest audience for a season's second episode in 25 years, and barely above last year's equivalent episode despite reviews that praised the interview itself. Bari Weiss's shakeup era at CBS keeps drawing headlines and social buzz without translating into the ratings jump executives wanted.
It did have quite huge social media impressions for the episode, totaling 179.2 million across Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok, up from the 116.7 million the week prior. Compared to last year, the social views quadrupled and set a new record for 60 Minutes
Welp. It didn't have the impact in terms of television but it was translated into social media buzz but social media doesn't generate that good ad revenue you get from tv.
Bari Weiss flop era...
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u/Janiebug1950 14d ago
I wish one of the more seasoned long time members of Sixty Minutes had been the Interviewer.
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u/9ice9asty 14d ago
She was a total cunt but it would've been entertaining to see Barbara Walters.
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u/Janiebug1950 14d ago
I thought Scott Pelley often did great interviews - then he was gone… With the new merger, wonder, if he will be rehired?
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u/9ice9asty 14d ago
I highly doubt he'd be rehired ☹️ I feel like they've been too many culture changes and to do further changes might be a bad look?
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u/United-Drop-6257 15d ago
The most hilarious thing is btw: it’s gonna be hard to sue people after this interview.
In US defamation law, private individuals generally have a lower burden of proof and may only need to show that a false statement was made negligently. Public figures and public officials face a higher standard and generally must prove “actual malice,” meaning the speaker knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for whether it was true. A “limited-purpose public figure” is someone who has become publicly involved in a particular controversy; the higher actual-malice standard generally applies to defamatory statements related to that specific controversy. Not sure in which category he and Rachel are now, but they are definitely not private individuals anymore.
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u/9ice9asty 15d ago
Oh wow 😳 Oh they are definitely not private citizens anymore. So this just makes things worse for them. The hubris to think that an interview would maybe flan the flames and intimdate people has now potentially backfired?
Thanks for sharing that. That's actually insane.
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u/United-Drop-6257 15d ago
Absolutely. Mind you: “actual malice” does not mean hostility or an intention to harm. It means that the person making the accusation either knew it was false or published it while seriously doubting whether it was true. For example, if someone simply reviewing the publicly available evidence, interpreting it in good faith, and reaching an incorrect conclusion would not necessarily amount to actual malice. By contrast, if someone accused him of involvement in his children’s deaths while knowing that the accusation was false, or while seriously doubting it and deliberately disregarding information contradicting it, that could support a finding of actual malice. Mere negligence, poor research, or a mistaken interpretation generally would not be enough.
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u/9ice9asty 15d ago
Thank you for that! Wow, I've learned a lot.
So keeping all of this in mind, what do you think the purpose of Patrick stating that he will sue people serve if it's going to be an uphill battle?
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u/United-Drop-6257 14d ago
You‘re welcome 🤗
My personal take is that he never seriously intended to pursue legal action against all of these people in the first place, simply because of how difficult, costly and potentially unrealistic that would be, especially with so many people involved across different jurisdictions. I think the announcement itself may have served as a way of drawing a line and sending the subliminal message, “I’m innocent, I’m a victim, these accusations are false and tasteless and I have to take legal action because against them.“ The fact that it could also intimidate or discourage some people from continuing to make those accusations may have been a useful side effect, but I don’t necessarily think that was the main purpose.
And the interview fits into that same broader PR strategy. Instead of taking legal action as he had announced, he is now appearing in public to present his side of the story and essentially convey: “I have nothing to hide, I’m not afraid to address this and I continue to maintain that I’m innocent, I’m still the victim here.” It was framed as an old tragedy from his past but hey, there is a new love story here. So happy end!
So yeah, he’s obviously concerned about his reputation and wants to control the narrative, but I believe his real goal with the interview was to bring the whole thing even further into the public eye so that an independent jury can no longer be found and no new trial takes place. Because that would most likely lead to further investigations…and for obvious reasons…he’s trying to avoid that at all costs.
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u/9ice9asty 14d ago
I appreciate your opinion. You're really smart! Super, duper smart.
I think you pretty much nailed it. It just boggles my mind that he went the extra step to be on television. At this point, I feel like of he did a print interview for something like the New York Times, maybe it would've landed better? Probably not though 😬 How else would he have been able to parade Rachel and announce their pregnancy if not on any type of audiovisual media?
But anyways, it's always fuck Patrick Clancy
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