If you're hunting for the exact moment the clock starts ticking for the VP, you aren't alone. Everyone's been asking what time is 60 minutes with kamala harris because, honestly, the scheduling for these big-ticket political interviews can be a total mess. Between sports delays and "special edition" time slots, catching the actual broadcast is sometimes harder than understanding tax code.
The short answer? The massive 2024 election special featuring Vice President Kamala Harris officially hit the airwaves at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Monday, October 7.
Wait, Monday? Yeah. Usually, 60 Minutes is a Sunday night tradition, right after the NFL theme song gets stuck in your head. But for this specific sit-down with Bill Whitaker, CBS broke the rules. They carved out a primetime Monday slot to give the interview breathing room. If you’re looking for it now, you’ve likely missed the live boat, but it’s tucked away in the digital archives for anyone with a Paramount+ sub or a CBS News app.
Breaking Down the Scheduling: What Time is 60 Minutes With Kamala Harris?
When CBS announced the 2024 Election Special, they threw a bit of a curveball. Most of us are conditioned to sit down at 7:00 PM on Sundays. But for the Harris-Walz ticket, the network opted for a Monday night "Candidate Special."
It’s worth noting that the broadcast didn’t just feature Harris. It was intended to be a back-to-back comparison of both major party candidates. However, Donald Trump famously pulled out of the appearance, citing disagreements over live fact-checking. That left Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, as the sole focus of the hour.
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Because it was a special, the 8:00 PM start time was strictly enforced. Unlike Sunday nights where a late-running 4:00 PM kickoff can push the news back to 7:37 PM (and drive everyone crazy), the Monday slot was a clean start.
Why the Time Slot Mattered
Television networks don't pick 8:00 PM on a Monday by throwing a dart at a calendar. They want the maximum number of eyeballs. By moving away from the Sunday "NFL slide," they ensured that viewers in every time zone could plan their evening.
If you were on the West Coast, you likely saw it at 8:00 PM local time. For those of us streaming, it dropped simultaneously on CBSNews.com.
The Interview That Launched a Thousand Clips
The substance of the interview was arguably more chaotic than the scheduling. Bill Whitaker didn't exactly go easy. He pressed the Vice President on several high-pressure topics that are still being debated in coffee shops and on X (formerly Twitter) today.
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- The Economy: Whitaker pushed for specifics on how her administration would pay for proposed tax credits and housing incentives.
- Immigration: This was perhaps the most "viral" segment. Harris was grilled on the influx of migrants and the timing of the administration's executive orders.
- Foreign Policy: With the anniversary of the October 7 attacks looming during the taping, the conversation on Israel and Gaza was particularly heavy.
It wasn't just a "rah-rah" campaign stop. It was a 21-minute masterclass in high-stakes questioning. People were refreshing their feeds at 8:01 PM just to see if she’d give a straight answer on the "Bidenomics" label. Honestly, whether you think she nailed it or dodged the questions depends entirely on what color hat you wear, but the viewership numbers were massive regardless.
Watching the Replay: Where to Go Now
Since the live broadcast has passed, you can't just flip on the TV and find it. But because this is 2026, nothing ever really dies on the internet.
CBS keeps the full transcript and the video segments available on the 60 Minutes section of their website. If you want the full experience without the annoying web ads, Paramount+ is your best bet. They have the "Election Special" categorized under Season 57.
Actually, there’s a funny bit of drama involving the "unedited" version of the interview. You might remember the headlines about CBS editing her response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The "word salad" vs. "succinct answer" debate led to a lot of trust issues with the broadcast. If you’re watching the replay today, just keep in mind that what you’re seeing is the "broadcast cut," which is standard for TV but became a huge political flashpoint.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the 60 Minutes Format
A lot of folks assume that if they see a clip on YouTube, they've seen the whole thing. Nope.
60 Minutes is famous for its long-form "Overtime" segments. Often, the most interesting stuff—the behind-the-scenes banter or the stuff that was too "inside baseball" for a general audience—gets posted on their 60 Minutes Overtime digital platform.
If you're researching what time is 60 minutes with kamala harris for a school project or just to settle a bet, remember that the "hour" is rarely just one person. Even though Trump declined, the October 7 broadcast still filled the hour with context, reporting on the Arizona election officials, and a deep dive into the swing state mechanics.
Actionable Steps for the Political Junkie
Watching a two-year-old interview might seem like a trip down memory lane, but if you want to actually use this info, here’s what you should do:
- Check the Source: Don't rely on 30-second TikTok clips. Go to the CBS News YouTube channel and watch the full 21-minute Harris segment to see the context Whitaker was building.
- Compare Transcripts: If you're curious about the editing controversy, look up the "60 Minutes Harris Transcript" provided by the network. It clarifies what was said in the room versus what made the final edit.
- Monitor the 2026 Midterms: As we head further into the 2026 cycle, keep an eye on Sunday nights again. The network usually reverts to its 7:00 PM ET slot for mid-term candidate interviews.
- Set an Alert: If you’re a Paramount+ subscriber, you can actually "Follow" 60 Minutes so your phone pings you the second a new political profile drops. It beats googling the air time five minutes after the show starts.
Basically, the interview served as a pivotal moment for the Harris campaign, providing a high-pressure environment that a standard rally just can't replicate. Whether it changed minds is up for debate, but it certainly gave the fact-checkers enough work to last a month.