After two decades with one of television’s most respected news programs, Anderson Cooper has officially stepped away from 60 Minutes. The longtime journalist used his final appearance to praise the show’s commitment to independent reporting and its strong connection with viewers. His departure also comes during a period of major changes inside CBS News.
CBS host Anderson Cooper announces departure from ’60 Minutes’
Anderson Cooper said goodbye to 60 Minutes during Sunday’s broadcast, ending a 20-year run as a correspondent. Cooper first joined the program in the 2006-07 season through a unique arrangement between CBS News and CNN, where he continues to work as one of the network’s main anchors. During his farewell comments, Cooper highlighted the show’s long-standing reputation for serious journalism and careful reporting (via Variety).
Cooper stressed that the program’s editorial independence has always been one of its biggest strengths. “There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ’60 Minutes’ has and maintain the quality that it has,” he said. He added that change is natural for television, but he hopes “the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains.” Cooper also called the show’s “independence” “critical” to its success over the years.
The veteran journalist also spoke about the amount of work required to produce stories for the program. According to Cooper, viewers trust 60 Minutes because its reports take “time,” “patience,” and resources to complete properly.
“When you see a ’60 Minutes’ story, and you’re like, ‘That was a really good story,’” he explained, “it was a good story because it requires time, it requires patience, it requires money.” He said he hopes those values continue to be protected in the future.
Cooper admitted that balancing CNN and 60 Minutes had become increasingly difficult. He revealed that much of his reporting work for the CBS program happened during weekends or even while using vacation days from CNN.
He also shared that spending more time with his young children played a role in his decision to leave. Cooper ended his farewell by saying he hopes 60 Minutes will still exist when his children grow older and eventually watch it with families of their own.
