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 made 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.
Anderson Cooper has confirmed he will not renew his contract with CBS, ending his nearly two-decade tenure with the network
His departure brings to a close an extraordinary chapter that began in 2007, when Cooper joined 60 Minutes while already anchoring CNN’s nightly broadcast, Anderson Cooper 360
60 Minutes Correspondents are seen from left Sharyn Alfonsi, L. Jon Wertheim, Bill Whitaker, Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Anderson Cooper
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 told 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 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 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
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
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.
‘At yesterday’s All-Hands, 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.
New CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has outlined her vision for the network
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.
‘Evening News’ Executive Producer Kim Harvey and Dokoupil reportedly tried to dissuade management from making cuts at the program
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.’
Weiss told employees at a town hall last month that the network has been far too focused on maintaining its current audience rather than expanding its reach to new viewers. She is pictured speaking in 2022
The network has faced internal strife since Weiss took over in October
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.’
