Anderson Cooper is leaving CBS’s “60 Minutes” after 20 years as a correspondent, explaining that he wants to devote more time to his young sons as the main reason for stepping away from the long-running news show.
The longtime broadcaster will exit at the end of the current season, which wraps in May, as first reported by Breaker. Cooper joined “60 Minutes” in the 2006-2007 season, all while continuing to host “Anderson Cooper 360” on CNN, which began airing in 2003.
“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career,” Cooper said in a statement shared by the Associated Press. “I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors and camera crew in the business.”
Cooper is father to two sons born via surrogate: five-year-old Wyatt Morgan Cooper and four-year-old Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. He co-parents the children with his former partner, Benjamin Maisani. The two were together nearly a decade before announcing their split in 2018. In 2020, when Cooper—then single—revealed he had welcomed a baby through surrogacy, he also confirmed he would be raising the child with his ex.
“For nearly 20 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 noted in his statement.
Even with the announcement, Cooper will finish the work he currently has in progress before making his full departure. He recently appeared on air to introduce a segment by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
CBS News thanked Cooper for his years of service. The network said he would be welcome to return to “60 Minutes” someday, leaving open the possibility of a future comeback to the iconic program, which debuted in 1968.
Cooper’s arrangement with CNN and CBS News allowed him to hold prominent positions at both outlets. His contributions to “60 Minutes” ranged from investigative pieces and international reporting to notable interviews that helped sustain the show’s reputation as the top newsmagazine on television.
The announcement comes during a time of significant change at CBS News and especially at “60 Minutes.” Bill Owens, the show’s executive producer, stepped down in April 2025, saying it had become clear he could no longer manage the show the way he had previously.
Owens’ exit happened while Paramount, CBS’s parent company, was pursuing a merger with Skydance. These corporate shifts coincided with other changes at the network following Bari Weiss’s appointment as editor-in-chief of CBS News in October 2025.
In December 2025, “60 Minutes” stirred controversy when Weiss removed a report by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi about El Salvador. The report eventually aired in January. Alfonsi publicly criticized the decision as politically driven.
The network also faced a legal dispute with President Donald Trump, who sued CBS over an interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. Paramount resolved the case with a $16 million settlement, without issuing an apology.
When asked whether Cooper’s departure was tied to changes in CBS News leadership, his spokesperson declined to comment beyond his official statement. One source said Cooper was not aligned with the direction CBS News was heading.
In fact, CBS News leadership had been hoping to expand Cooper’s involvement rather than lose him. Weiss had reportedly explored bringing Cooper on full-time, including discussions about making him anchor of “CBS Evening News”—a role ultimately filled by Tony Dokoupil. The breakdown of those talks makes his exit especially significant, with one industry observer calling it “another black eye” for the new leadership at CBS News.
Cooper’s departure is a major loss for “60 Minutes,” which has long relied on seasoned correspondents to uphold its status as the most-watched news program in the U.S. The show has endured many transitions across its more than 50-year history, adapting to changes in the media world while remaining committed to in-depth reporting and long-form journalism.
The timing of Cooper’s announcement—coming months after Owens left and during ongoing corporate restructuring at Paramount—raises questions about the future direction of the legendary newsmagazine. As broadcast news confronts declining audiences and shifting business pressures, the program faces growing challenges in preserving editorial independence while accommodating corporate realities.
As the season continues until May, viewers will still see Cooper complete his remaining “60 Minutes” stories while maintaining his daily role at CNN. His departure marks the close of a notable chapter in the show’s history.
