Anderson Cooper Leaving ‘60 Minutes'

Anderson Cooper has announced his departure from 60 Minutes, after 20 years co-presenting the CBS magazine series.

The Hollywood Reporterhas stated that Cooper's final episode will be Sunday, February 22. The journalist's last segment on the show will be an interview with iconic documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

The outlet also reports that Cooper will remain with CNN, the network that struck the cross-network deal to appear on CBS's 60 Minutes back in 2006. The broadcaster has been with CNN since 2001, where he presents the nightly Anderson Cooper 360 and a weekly news magazine programme, The Whole Story. 

It was Anderson who opted not to renew his contract with CBS, according to sources. The publication has suggested that the appointment of Bari Weiss as Editor-In-Chief at CBS News last year is a likely factor in the reporter's decision to depart from the series. The conservative political commentator previously pulled Inside CECOT, a 60 Minutes special detailing at an El Salvador prison holding illegal immigrants.

“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career,” Cooper said in a statement.

The veteran journalist did not comment on speculation that Weiss had influenced his departure. Instead, he cited family responsibilities as a factor in his decision-making.

“I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business. 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.”

Cooper won two Emmy awards during his tenure on the newsmagazine show. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of his initial hiring as a correspondent, having joined the series during the 2006-2007 season.