August 2023

L. Jon Wertheim is an accomplished journalist and 60 MINUTES correspondent who joined the broadcast in 2017. His reporting for the newsmagazine has spanned from foreign and national news to sports and culture and taken him to Saudi Arabia, the sports world’s new nerve center, to see how the Kingdom has been shelling out on events and athletes amid accusations of “sportswashing” and featured a look at how Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been reverberating on the world’s ballet stages.

Wertheim’s reporting for 60 MINUTES has included an investigation into the Taylor Energy Oil Spill, a storm-caused, environmental crisis that sullied the Gulf of Mexico and efforts to stanch the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history. He’s profiled NBA Hall of Famer and, perhaps more recognizably, colorful TV basketball commentator, Charles Barkley, and one of basketball’s generational stars, Sue Bird. Wertheim has reported on local newsrooms being strained by budget-slashing financial firms. He’s traveled to Fogo Island, off the coast of Canada, where new life is being brought into a rural fishing village.

Wertheim shared the story of the Ritchie Boys, a secret U.S. unit bolstered by German-born Jews who helped the Allies beat Hitler. He’s reported from Iceland on Eurovision, the song competition that’s rocked Europe since 1956. Wertheim led an extended on-camera interview with tennis legend Rafael Nadal from his home in Manacor. He interviewed the Red Hot Chili Peppers on 40 years of music with a stop on their stadium tour and a visit to the Roxy, one of their early haunts. He’s reported on panini stickers and how the family collectibles business became a worldwide phenomenon.

Wertheim has interviewed Jerry Seinfeld on COVID-19 and his first New York shows during the pandemic, led a thoughtful piece on retired, legendary sportswriter Dave Kindred and profiled Oscar, Emmy and Tony-winner Viola Davis. He has also reported how a retired couple found lottery odds in their favor, on sports gambling, the coming of driverless trucks and populism in Hungary. His poignant feature on the remote Alaskan island of Attu remembered the obscure battle there that was the only land engagement on U.S. soil during WWII. On another island, the nation of Malta, he reported on corruption and drew attention to the murder of the journalist uncovering it, Daphne Caruana Galizia. Wertheim’s profile of Japanese baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani foretold the pitching/hitting superstar’s entry into Major League Baseball.

Prior to joining 60 MINUTES as a full-time correspondent, Wertheim appeared on the sports edition of 60 MINUTES as a commentator and reporter. His stories included a profile of NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and a news-breaking report on NFL receiver Doug Baldwin.

In addition to his role with 60 MINUTES, Wertheim serves as a senior writer and executive editor for Sports Illustrated, a commentator for the Tennis Channel and has executive produced on various television and film projects. This includes the Emmy Award-winning doc “RIVALS: Ohio State vs Michigan” and a forthcoming documentary about the Ohio State abuse scandal, based on his reporting for Sports Illustrated. Wertheim is the author of 11 books, including NYT bestsellers Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won (co-written with University of Chicago finance professor Tobias Moskowitz) and You Can’t Make This Up (with sportscaster Al Michaels). His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing series, as well as the Best American Crime Writing series.

Wertheim has been honored with an Emmy Award for his documentary “RIVALS” and multiple Emmy Award nominations for his work at 60 MINUTES, including “The Longest Running Oil Spill” and “The Lost Music.” In 2022, Wertheim was honored by the Tennis Hall of Fame with the Eugene L. Scott Award for his journalistic contributions to the sport of tennis.

A native of Bloomington, Ind., Wertheim is a graduate of Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Wertheim resides with his wife in New York City.