Anderson Cooper to go away CBS’ 60 Minutes after two-decade run amid upheaval at community

Anderson Cooper is leaving CBS’s 60 Minutes ending a nearly two-decade run at the network as he chooses family over one of television’s most prestigious reporting roles.

The 57-year-old CNN anchor will not renew his contract with CBS bringing his tenure as a correspondent on the iconic newsmagazine to an end after joining the program in 2007. 

His departure marks a significant shift for 60 Minutes, the venerable broadcast long regarded as one of the most influential platforms in television journalism.

In a statement to People, Cooper tried to make clear the decision was deeply personal – driven not by professional dissatisfaction, but by the pull of fatherhood.

‘Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,’ Cooper said.

But after years of balancing two of the most demanding jobs in television news, Cooper acknowledged that priorities had changed.

‘For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me,’ he added.

Cooper is the father of two boys, Wyatt, 4, and Sebastian, 3, whom he shares with his former partner Benjamin Maisani. 

He has spoken candidly about their co-parenting arrangement, describing a routine built around shared responsibility and devotion to their children.

‘I work nights, and so he’s there at night,’ Cooper explained. ‘And we both wake up right before they wake up, get them their milk and spend the first couple of hours of the day just us with them. And Benjamin speaks French to them. I have no idea what they’re saying. I think they’re plotting against me.’ 

The departure brings to a close an extraordinary chapter that began in 2007, when Cooper joined 60 Minutes while already anchoring CNN’s flagship nightly broadcast, Anderson Cooper 360. 

His ability to straddle both cable and network television at the highest level made him one of the most visible and versatile journalists of his generation.

At the center of the upheaval is a broader transformation underway at CBS News under its new ownership and leadership by Free Press founder Bari Weiss. 

Weiss has sought to reshape the network’s identity, with ambitions to modernize its programming and recruit new voices aligned with her vision.

Her leadership has already reshaped other flagship programs, including the CBS Evening News, where changes in tone and editorial priorities have drawn scrutiny from both viewers and staff.

Reporting by Status and Breaker Media which both cover the media suggests Cooper’s exit may have been fueled not just by family considerations, but by mounting unease over the show’s editorial direction under new leadership.

Behind the scenes, Cooper had grown increasingly uncomfortable with changes unfolding at the storied newsmagazine, according to the media industry newsletter. 

One insider told the outlet bluntly: ‘He wasn’t comfortable with the direction the show was taking under Bari, and is in a position where he doesn’t have to put up with it.’

A second person familiar with the situation confirmed to Status that Cooper’s decision to walk away was tied, at least in part, to his discomfort with Bari Weiss, who now plays a powerful role in shaping the network’s editorial trajectory following David Ellison’s takeover of Paramount, CBS News’ parent company.

Cooper’s exit comes after months of reported internal friction over editorial decisions and oversight, including scrutiny surrounding a sensitive report he had been working on. 

According to Status, the segment, examining the Trump administration’s decision to accept refugees from South Africa, was subjected to an unusually intensive editorial review process.

Executive Producer Tanya Simon and Weiss both provided extensive feedback on the piece, Status reported, prolonging the editing process and frustrating longtime staff involved in its production. 

Veteran producer Michael Gavshon, who has worked at 60 Minutes for more than 30 years, was described as exasperated by the drawn-out process. The report’s future remains uncertain, with no confirmed airdate.

The level of oversight represented a sharp departure from the program’s historical independence. 

For decades, 60 Minutes correspondents and producers operated with significant editorial autonomy – a hallmark of the broadcast that helped cement its reputation as one of the most respected investigative platforms in television news.

But according to Status, Weiss has taken a far more hands-on role in shaping coverage, inserting herself directly into editorial decisions in a way that has unsettled many within the newsroom.

Cooper’s departure is viewed internally and externally as a major blow to CBS News’ leadership. 

Weiss had reportedly hoped to expand Cooper’s role at the network and even explored the possibility of elevating him to anchor the CBS Evening News. Cooper ultimately declined those overtures.

‘This is another black eye for Bari,’ an industry observer told Status. ‘CBS is losing a talented storyteller who she wanted to keep. Remember, she tried to poach him full time last year.’

His exit leaves 60 Minutes with a diminished roster of correspondents, now including Sharyn Alfonsi, Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim, and Cecilia Vega. 

‘I think this is the end of ’60’ as we know it,’ a television news executive told Status. ‘It’s over.’

Inside CBS News, some employees have expressed concern that the network’s editorial compass is shifting – a development that has contributed to departures and declining morale, according to internal accounts cited by Status.

At 60 Minutes, Cooper reported on some of the world’s most consequential stories, contributing to the program’s tradition of long-form investigative journalism and in-depth storytelling.

Despite his departure from CBS, Cooper’s role at CNN remains secure. 

He renewed his contract with the network in December 2025 and continues to anchor Anderson Cooper 360, the nightly program that has become synonymous with his name and reporting style.

He also remains a central figure in CNN’s marquee programming, including the network’s annual New Year’s Eve broadcast alongside longtime friend and co-host Andy Cohen.

Cooper’s departure comes just weeks after the Tiffany Network offered lucrative buyouts to staff members at its ‘Evening News’ broadcast amid Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’ shakeup of the network. 

Ununionized employees received an email informing them of the reportedly lucrative buyouts last month, just one day after Weiss formally outlined her vision for CBS News in a townhall meeting.

‘We are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment,’ the email read.

‘Bari charted a course for CBS News that’s very different from the one we’re on now,’ it continued. ‘The Evening News has a new host and a new directive and there will be more change coming.

‘We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be and we want to provide support.’

It is unclear how many staffers received the email, but most members of CBS News’ editorial ranks, including producers, are not covered by union contracts, according to Variety. 

The network news station had already laid off more than 2,000 employees under mandates put in force buy its new owner Paramount Skydance, which sought to cut costs after purchasing CBS from its former controlling shareholders, the Redstone family.

As Weiss’ tenure at the network now gets underway, some staff members at ‘Evening News’ have already expressed concerns over their future.

‘Well at ‘Evening News,’ people are afraid for their jobs and afraid to even speak for fear of retaliation,’ an unidentified employee said at January’s townhall meeting.

‘There has been a chilling effect within our newsroom,’ the employee continued. ‘It feels right now like if we offer feedback, alternatives or constructive criticism that we are asking for targets on our backs.’

Executives at the network, though, seem to be encouraged by Tony Dokoupil’s start on ‘Evening News.’

Viewership has increased in the first few weeks on air, but the overall audience for the program continues to deplete and is down noticeably from the same period a year earlier. 

Still, Weiss apparently wants to continue with the strategy she implemented at ‘Evening News,’ telling employees on Tuesday that the network has been far too focused on maintaining its current audience rather than expanding its reach to new viewers.

‘We’re for the center. We’re for the center-right, and we’re for the center-left,’ she reportedly said during her presentation at the meeting. 

‘The honest truth is right now we are not producing a product that enough people want,’ she said.

‘I am here to make CBS News fit for purpose in the 21st century.’  

Weiss then took a no-nonsense approach when addressing those who are not fans of her efforts. 

‘If that’s not your bag, that’s okay,’ she said.

‘It’s a free country, and I completely respect if you decide I’m not the right leader for you or this isn’t the right place at the right time, there’s just too many exciting things to be spending your career doing.’

The network has faced internal strife since Weiss took over in October, with critics arguing she may have a pro-Trump agenda despite her pledge to uphold newsroom neutrality.

The backlash escalated when Weiss held back a ’60 Minutes’ segment on the Trump administration’s deportation of migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison.

She has repeatedly denied that the decision was made to appease Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, whose tech mogul father, Larry Ellison, is a known Trump ally. 

Instead, Weiss claims that she only postponed the airing of the segment because she believed it needed more reporting. 

It now seems like Weiss has at least one ally –  longtime anchor Gayle King, who defended her vision on Tuesday as she slammed those who were leaking details of Weiss’ plans to the press.

‘What I like, Bari, about what you outlined is that I don’t know anybody in this room that doesn’t want to make change for the better,’ King said, per the Washington Post.

‘I don’t know anybody that doesn’t want to kick it up a notch. And I just don’t want any of us to lose sight of who we are and the job that we do here. I’m so proud to work at this company.’