Anderson Cooper has been a fixture on the legendary CBS news magazine 60 Minutes for over twenty years. His calm, cerebral style and even-handedness have won viewers' confidence. When he tackles hot-button issues, he typically does so with laudable restraint. Now Cooper has announced that after such a long stay in the prominent role, he is stepping away from it to focus on his young children.
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Cooper has two little boys, Sebastian and Wyatt. Wyatt was Cooper's late father's first name.
Cooper, 58, also hosts an hour-long news program on CNN on weeknights. He does not intend to renew his contract for the next season of 60 Minutes, per the New York Post.
Cooper Expressed His Appreciation for the Opportunity
Per a statement, he said, "Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors 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 added, "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."
CBS News Is Experiencing Reported Uneasiness Under Its New Leadership
Per the outlet, this has been "a period of internal tension surrounding editorial decisions and leadership changes." Cooper's high-profile departure is the latest chapter in the ongoing turmoil. It seemingly began with the hiring of Bari Weiss last fall as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Although she vowed to improve operations and quality, her tenure thus far has been reportedly rocky.
The skirmishes so far have involved a story on the CECOT prison in El Salvador that was yanked from 60 Minutes, then restored to its schedule. According to the Post, she even contemplated giving the prestigious CBS Evening News anchor job to Cooper It eventually went to Tony Dokoupil instead.
Furthermore, a spate of buyouts and layoffs allegedly intensified the besieged mood at the network's news division. There are reportedly even more staff eliminations in the offing.
