Lesley Stahl reportedly offered a message of solidarity to the remaining staff of 60 Minutes this week as CBS News continues to grapple with a series of high-profile departures and leadership shakeups.

During a champagne toast held Monday, June 8, at the program’s Midtown Manhattan offices, Stahl addressed employees following the recent firing of veteran correspondent Scott Pelley and the exits of several other prominent journalists, according to The New York Times.

“My toast was, ‘to us,’ meaning the survivors,” Stahl said in a text message to the newspaper. “Maybe ‘us’ with a twinge of survivor’s guilt.”

Stahl hosted the gathering to boost morale among staff members who have been navigating weeks of uncertainty following sweeping changes at the network, according to The Times.

Stahl also shared details of a recent conversation she had with Paramount CEO David Ellison, who reportedly called her on June 7 and pledged to respect the editorial independence of 60 Minutes, the newspaper reported.

Stahl, along with correspondents Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim, had wrestled with whether to remain at the network in the aftermath of the staffing changes and Pelley’s dismissal, according to The New York Times.

In a memo previously obtained by PEOPLE, the three correspondents said they ultimately chose to stay because they did not “want to see 60 Minutes die.”

“We have been grieving because this whole mess has wounded and damaged the broadcast,” the trio wrote in the memo. “We want to stay and fight, try to repair and preserve our reputation.”

The latest developments come amid an ongoing upheaval at CBS News and 60 Minutes.

In recent weeks, CBS News parted ways with correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, as well as executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. Executive producer Tanya Simon was replaced by tech journalist Nick Bilton, who later fired Pelley following a contentious staff meeting.

Pelley’s termination came after a confrontation in which he criticized CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and questioned the network’s direction, according to reporting by The New York Times.

Pelley told Bilton during the meeting that Weiss was “murdering 60 Minutes” and that she “does not love this place,” the outlet reported.

In the termination letter obtained by PEOPLE, Bilton accused Pelley of “ambush,” “hostility” and “misconduct.”

“It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead,” Bilton wrote in the letter. “Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.”

Pelley has disputed the characterization of events and argued that the show’s leadership has abandoned its core values.

“I depart after 37 years at CBS with one emotion—a heart brimming with gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work, very often at the risk of their own lives,” Pelley said in a statement previously shared with PEOPLE. “I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again—a day when sanity, competence, and courage return.”

Meanwhile, Stahl recently described the ongoing turmoil as the most difficult period of her career.

“It’s been over 50 years,” Stahl told Puck in an interview published on June 7. “This was by far the worst experience I’ve been involved in, or even witnessed. I mean, firing seven people, including the entire management team over here, plus reporters and producers…”

PEOPLE has reached out to CBS for comment.