Anderson Cooper Wraps Up His Time as a Correspondent for ’60 Minutes’
Anderson Cooper Exits CBS News’ 60 Minutes After Nearly Two Decades
Anderson Cooper is set to depart as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, concluding almost two decades with the CBS News program. His decision comes after years of balancing his roles at both CNN and CBS.
Cooper has served as a correspondent for 60 Minutes while also anchoring at CNN, a collaboration facilitated by an agreement between the two networks. Sources indicate that Cooper chose not to renew his contract to focus on his obligations at the acclaimed Sunday news program.
In a statement, Cooper expressed gratitude for his time at 60 Minutes, saying, “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. 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.”
His final segment, which covered the work of Ken Burns, aired this past Sunday.
Cooper signed a new deal with CNN late last year, continuing his notable presence on the network, which includes not just his primetime show but also hosting the Sunday newsmagazine The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper along with the podcast and streaming series All There Is.
Joining 60 Minutes in the 2006-2007 season, Cooper’s exit coincides with notable upheaval in the network’s news division amidst Paramount Global’s efforts to finalize its sale to Skydance.
The program has faced its share of controversy, including a lawsuit from Donald Trump in October 2024 over edits made to an interview with Kamala Harris. While CBS News attorneys labeled the lawsuit as baseless, Paramount eventually settled for $16 million, viewing the litigation as an obstacle to obtaining necessary regulatory approval from the Trump administration. As settlement discussions unfolded, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned, followed shortly by news division head Wendy McMahon.
In a recent incident, a segment related to the Trump administration’s deportations to El Salvador was pulled, leading correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi to criticize the decision as politically motivated interference. Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, defended the choice, stating that the segment required further preparation to include relevant officials on camera. The segment eventually aired four weeks later, maintaining its original content but with a new introduction and postscript.
Cooper’s contributions to 60 Minutes have been recognized with multiple Emmy Awards, highlighting his impactful storytelling, including features on jazz prodigy Joey Alexander and African prison inmates whose music achieved Grammy recognition.
