Anderson Cooper Refuses to Work for Bari Weiss If She Takes over CNN After His “60 Minutes” Exit: Report
Anderson Cooper Refuses to Work for Bari Weiss If She Takes over CNN After His “60 Minutes” Exit: Report
Brenton BlanchetTue, June 30, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC
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Anderson Cooper; Bari WeissCredit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Noam Galai/Getty -
Anderson Cooper does not wish to work under Bari Weiss, per a new report
The New York Times reported on Saturday, June 27 that the CNN anchor has told colleagues he's not interested in working for the CBS News boss amid buzz of a proposed corporate merger
Cooper first announced his exit from 60 Minutes, which Weiss has been restructuring, in February
Anderson Cooper is reportedly unwilling to work under Bari Weiss' leadership.
The tenured CNN anchor, 59, has told colleagues that he does not want to work for the CBS News editor-in-chief behind the dramatic restructuring of 60 Minutes, two people familiar with his comments told The New York Times in a story published on Saturday, June 27.
His reported remarks come amid a proposed corporate merger that would also leave Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison with ownership of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal is valued at $111 billion.
It follows Cooper's own May departure from 60 Minutes, which marked one of the many high-profile exits from the newsmagazine during a period of shakeups from Weiss and other executives. Cooper cited family reasons when announcing his exit earlier this year. A spokeswoman for Cooper declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.
PEOPLE has reached out to a spokesperson for CBS.
Anderson Cooper on Dec. 10, 2023 in New York CityCredit: Mike Coppola/Getty
Many changes occurred at 60 Minutes within the past few weeks. First, CBS News parted ways with Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. The network then replaced executive producer Tanya Simon with tech journalist Nick Bilton; and fired longtime correspondent Scott Pelley following his clash with the new EP. Three correspondents remain at the newsmagazine: Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim.
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After his firing, Pelley alleged that the program's executives were prioritizing political bias and attempting to curry favor with President Donald Trump. He notably accused Weiss of “murdering” 60 Minutes, per multiple reports.
Weiss then addressed "what’s transpired in our newsroom" during an internal meeting with staff days later, Variety and The New York Times previously reported, sharing that she was "only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect."
Weiss has also come under fire for pulling a 60 Minutes segment focusing on Venezuelan men who were deported by the Trump administration to a notorious El Salvador prison. Former correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi claimed in a note, obtained by The Wall Street Journal and other outlets at the time, that Weiss had “spiked our story" in December, calling the decision “not an editorial decision" but "a political one." A CBS News spokesperson said in a release that the story needed additional reporting. It later aired on Jan. 18.
As for Cooper, he joined 60 Minutes during the 2006-07 television season. He continued to anchor CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° during that time and remains at CNN, where he renewed his contract in December 2025. He also co-hosts CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special alongside Andy Cohen.
During his final segment, Cooper detailed his hopes for the future of 60 Minutes. "There are very few things that have been around as long as 60 Minutes has and maintained the quality that it has," he said. "Things can always evolve and change and I think that's awesome. And things should evolve and change. But I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains."
"I think the independence of 60 Minutes has been critical," he added. "And I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of 60 Minutes."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
