Anderson Cooper Reportedly Uneasy About Working Under CBS Boss Bari Weiss

CNN veteran Anderson Cooper has reportedly made clear behind the scenes that he is uneasy about the prospect of working under CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss if Paramount’s planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery moves ahead. According to The New York Times, Cooper, 59, has privately told colleagues that he “does not want to work for” Weiss, 42, the founder of The Free Press. The concern comes as the $110 billion merger between the companies’ parent organizations appears to be advancing, with the Department of Justice issuing a rare statement on June 12 saying it would not challenge the deal because it found no harm to U.S. consumers. The transaction is currently expected to close in September, pending approval from the European Commission.

Cooper, who has anchored at CNN since 2001, recently stepped away from his role at CBS’s 60 Minutes after nearly two decades with the program. His exit has drawn renewed attention amid questions about Weiss’s influence at CBS News since she was hired in October by then-new Paramount CEO David Ellison. The New York Times captured the mood in a Saturday headline that read, “Chaos Came to CBS News. What’s in Store for CNN?” — reflecting anxiety among CNN staffers who fear they could face a similar shake-up if the merger is completed.

Since taking on the editor-in-chief role, Weiss has overseen sweeping changes at CBS News, including a major retooling of CBS Evening News and upheaval at 60 Minutes. Those moves prompted criticism from former correspondent Scott Pelley, who accused her of “murdering” the show before his firing. Two unnamed insiders told Status last month that Cooper’s unexpected departure from 60 Minutes was at least partly tied to Weiss, a former New York Times opinion writer known for her pointed critiques of traditional media institutions.

The Times also noted that Ellison, a 43-year-old former film producer, has not publicly laid out a plan for CNN. The Daily Mail has contacted Paramount for comment. Weiss, meanwhile, pushed back last week against allegations of editorial interference and bias from Pelley and fellow former correspondent Cecilia Vega in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief,” she said. The remarks appeared in a profile of Tony Dokoupil, the former CBS Mornings anchor Weiss elevated as a central figure in her rebrand of CBS Evening News.

Reports of internal tension have continued to mount. In May, Puck reported that unnamed members of Paramount’s “senior leadership team” had discussed reducing Weiss’s editorial authority after months of disappointing ratings and decisions that some in the industry viewed as missteps. A Status report on June 10 described Weiss as “holed up” in a sixth-floor suite at CBS News’ Manhattan headquarters as the fallout from her changes persisted. CNN staffers have been watching closely: several sources told the publication in February that alarm spread through the newsroom after the Ellisons’ bid for Warner Bros. Discovery’s parent company was accepted and Netflix dropped out of the running.

“The panic at CNN right now is off the charts,” one insider said at the time. Another CNN staffer argued that Paramount had already damaged its credibility as a steward of a news brand because of changes made under Weiss. Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, are friendly with the Trump administration, which approved their acquisition of Paramount last year. Former 60 Minutes chief Bill Owens and former CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon both exited the network before Ellison’s rise, citing corporate overreach they said was already evident during Paramount’s merger with Ellison’s Skydance. Ellison has described a vision for Paramount’s marquee news assets that would appeal to a more centrist audience. Cooper, for his part, has said he left CBS to spend more time with his two young children. Still, Paramount’s looming takeover is widely expected to bring cuts at both CBS News and CNN. CNN, unlike CBS, reached a deal in December to keep Cooper. In his final 60 Minutes signoff, he underscored the importance of the program’s independence, saying, “Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome. And things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains.”