Losing it on 60 Minutes: the great "walk-offs"

By: Overtime Staff
Topics: Overtime Original

This week on the broadcast, correspondent Bob Simon experienced a classic "60 Minutes" moment: his interview subject suddenly stood up, pulled his microphone off, and walked off the set. With that, the interview was over. We call them "walk-offs" and these dramatic moments are practically a tradition here at "60 Minutes."

Watch Bob Simon's report.

In this video, compiled by "60 Minutes Overtime," you'll hear the back-stories of our favorite walk-offs from the past 40 years. In 2007, French president Nicolas Sarkozy stormed away and left Lesley Stahl asking, "Pourquoi?" Steve Kroft remembers a walk-off performed with "verve" by Russia's Minister of Atomic Energy and a funny attempted walk-off by Edward Teller, father of the H-bomb, during a Mike Wallace interview.

You'll also see the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former presidential candidate Ross Perot, and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin all stomp off in a huff.

Enjoy!

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by mike_hersh March 21, 2011 3:18 PM EDT: test1; Reply to this comment


by cameramen March 14, 2011 7:06 PM EDT: Personally, I wish I had the fortatude to do some muckraking myself. I'll always regret not taking that class for the professor from Stanford titled, "the art of raking muck".

How helpful it would have been during the years that I workedd at the University of Washington. Juicy stories there.

Sexual expoloytation of students, big-time theft.; Reply to this comment


by rjhiggins March 14, 2011 4:55 PM EDT: Those of you ripping CBS: Specifically which questions do you think went over the line? Because I didn't see even one. And frankly, I want journalists to ask tough questions; it means they're doing their job aggressively.; Reply to this comment


by JAW746 March 14, 2011 2:35 PM EDT: Anyone appearing on 60 Minutes is doing so for media exposure only. The more dramatic they can make it, the more soap they can sell. This is not Journalism, it is Showbiz.....; Reply to this comment


by johnwstaff March 14, 2011 11:32 AM EDT: OK; Reply to this comment


by johnwstaff March 14, 2011 11:30 AM EDT: If you are afraid of the questions asked, you should be afraid to go on 60 Minutes. Those that walk off, either look like they're hiding something, or they're to uppity to answer it. It's embarrassing for all, and doesn't prove anything!; Reply to this comment


by Jhihmoac March 14, 2011 10:16 AM EDT: If one can't stand the heat, maybe they should avoid the kitchen...; Reply to this comment


by nor-one March 14, 2011 8:58 AM EDT: Very sad! So this is what 60 minutes has finally dropped too. Bruce would love it, sales of "Glory Days" should jump. "60 Minutes" the entertainment show!! It used to be worth watching.; Reply to this comment


by marciabond March 14, 2011 8:46 AM EDT: The CIA was looking for an excuse and he gave it to them so we could invade Iraq.; Reply to this comment


by j_flood March 14, 2011 7:40 AM EDT: Good piece - remember when the style of 60 Minutes was more 'ambush journalism' - like to see some of the jaw-dropping moments when the 60 Minute crew would show up at someone's door.; Reply to this comment

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