Longtime correspondent Anderson Cooper has announced his departure from CBS’s esteemed newsmagazine program “60 Minutes” after a notable 20-year tenure.
In a statement, Cooper, 58, expressed that his decision to leave stems from a desire to devote more time to his family. “Being a correspondent at ’60 Minutes’ has been one of the highlights of my career. I got to tell amazing stories and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” he shared. “For nearly twenty years, I’ve balanced my roles at CNN and CBS, but now, with my young children, I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.”
Although he made an appearance on the show this past Sunday, introducing a segment on filmmaker Ken Burns, Cooper is expected to fulfill his commitments through the current broadcast season, which concludes in May.
In addition to his work on “60 Minutes,” Cooper is well-known as the anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” His dual role with CBS and CNN began during the 2006-07 season, highlighting his ability to juggle demanding positions at two prominent networks.
“Being a correspondent at ’60 Minutes’ has been one of the highlights 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 in a statement. “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 want to spend time with me.”
Cooper, who is also the anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” has served as a “60 Minutes” correspondent under an agreement between CBS News and CNN since the 2006-07 season, according to his bio.
In a statement, CBS News praised Cooper for his two decades of work.
“We’re grateful to him for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family,” CBS said. “’60 Minutes’ will be here if he ever wants to return.”
His exit comes at a time of unease at the Sunday night newsmagazine.
At the direction of Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News since last fall, the show in December held off at the last minute, showing a report from correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi about the Trump administration’s immigration policy. She said a greater effort was needed to get an interview with administration officials, while correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi complained privately that the decision was political in nature. The story aired a month later with additional administration comments, but no on-camera interviews.
President Donald Trump sued “60 Minutes” for how it handled an interview with his 2024 election opponent, Kamala Harris. CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, settled with Trump out of court.
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