Anderson Cooper has chosen not to renew his contract with CBS's '60 Minutes', opting to leave the programme after nearly two decades to safeguard his reputation, according to sources close to the veteran broadcaster.
The 58-year-old journalist is said to have grown concerned about the direction of the network under new leadership, fearing that anti-Trump stories would be suppressed. A source told the Daily Mail that Cooper believed he would face battles with executives over story choices, adding: 'He has worked too long and too hard for this, building his reputation and his brand... And then he's going to let Bari decide she doesn't want him to do a story because it's not pro-Trump? F*** that, respectfully.'
Cooper's departure follows the acquisition of CBS parent company Paramount by Skydance Media last summer, a deal that required federal approval and sparked accusations that the network curried favour with the Trump administration. Tensions at '60 Minutes' had been mounting, including a lawsuit by President Trump over an edited interview with Kamala Harris, which Paramount settled for $16 million in July.
In October, Bari Weiss, former New York Times opinion editor and founder of anti-woke outlet The Free Press, was appointed CBS News editor-in-chief, urging staff to 'embrace a wide spectrum of views'. In December, a planned segment on a Salvadoran mega-prison was pulled hours before airing, drawing backlash and accusations of political motivation.
CBS insiders expressed concern about the network's talent depth following Cooper's exit. One insider said: 'There was no negotiation... He was done. And that leaves us in a weird spot because who's our talent now? ... We don't have a deep bench.' The source close to Cooper added that executives were surprised by his decision, but 'if they had been paying attention, they'd have seen it coming'.
