After more than 20 years, Anderson Cooper has officially stepped away from his role on 60 Minutes. He reflected on his time with the CBS News show.
What We Know: Cooper announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t renew his contract with the program. In a 60 Minutes Overtime piece, he discussed how his growing family played a role in his decision. Those comments come after previous reports suggested that Anderson Cooper was concerned about the direction of the show under Paramount Skydance ownership and Bari Weiss’ stewardship of CBS News. He alluded to those issues in the piece.
What They Said: “The whole time I’ve done pieces at 60 Minutes, my full-time job has been over at CNN. And still is. It’s been really challenging to do the kind of work you need to do to have a great 60 Minutes piece on. CNN doesn’t like it if I take a lot of time off to work on a 60 Minutes piece. I’ve worked on 60 Minutes mostly on weekends. My vacation time at CNN has been spent working on 60 Minutes pieces. I’ve loved it, but it’s been tough.
“I hope 60 Minutes remains 60 Minutes. There are very few things that have been around as long as 60 Minutes and maintained the quality that it has. Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome — things should evolve and change. But I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains.” -Anderson Cooper
What Remains Unclear: Who, if anyone, will replace Anderson Cooper at 60 Minutes. In addition to his exit, it is widely expected that longtime correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi will also depart the news magazine. Sunday’s show marked the season finale.
What It Means: It is a season of change at 60 Minutes. After longtime executive producer Bill Owens departed, it set in motion a series of moves that have now led to the likes of Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi, and potentially others to leave the show.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
