Anderson Cooper left 60 Minutes after 20 years of work
18 may 2026 в 16:37
Anderson Cooper last left the program «60 Minutes» after nearly 20 years of work. The seasoned journalist announced his unexpected departure from the long-running CBS News show on May 17, 2026, raising questions among viewers about whether he would also leave CNN.
In the final segment of the program, owned by Paramount Skydance, Cooper expressed hope that «60 Minutes» would remain as he knows it after his departure.
«There are very few things that have lasted as long as '60 Minutes' and maintain such quality», - Cooper noted in his farewell speech. «Everything can evolve and change, and I think that’s wonderful, but I hope the essence of '60 Minutes' will always remain».
Cooper added, «I believe the independence of '60 Minutes' has been critically important».
Cooper, who is now 58 years old, told USA Today that he left «60 Minutes» to spend more time with his children, sons Wyatt Morgan and Sebastian Luke.
«For nearly 20 years, I was able to balance work at CNN and CBS, but now I have young kids, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible while they still want to spend it with me», - said the seasoned correspondent.
During his final segment on CBS News, Cooper emphasized the impact of independent journalism on the viewers of «60 Minutes».
«I think the trust it has with viewers is critically important to the success of '60 Minutes'», - Cooper said. «When you see a '60 Minutes' piece and think, 'That was a really good story.' It’s a good story because it takes time, patience, and money. I hope that will be known, appreciated, and continue».
No, Cooper is not leaving CNN just because he left CBS. During his last appearance on «60 Minutes», - he acknowledged that «it was difficult» to balance his time outside CNN with CBS. Therefore, he will focus on his primary job at CNN.
«All the time I was doing pieces for '60 Minutes,' my primary job was at CNN, and it remains so», - Cooper said on «60 Minutes: Overtime». «It was really difficult to do the work necessary to create a great piece for '60 Minutes.'»
Cooper continued, «CNN doesn’t like it when I spend a lot of time working on a piece for '60 Minutes,' so I mostly worked on '60 Minutes' on weekends. My vacation time at CNN was spent working on pieces for '60 Minutes.' I enjoyed it, but it was challenging».
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cooper’s net worth is estimated at $ 60 million. According to several sources, he earns about $ 18 million a year at CNN
In the final segment of the program, owned by Paramount Skydance, Cooper expressed hope that «60 Minutes» would remain as he knows it after his departure.
«There are very few things that have lasted as long as '60 Minutes' and maintain such quality», - Cooper noted in his farewell speech. «Everything can evolve and change, and I think that’s wonderful, but I hope the essence of '60 Minutes' will always remain».
Cooper added, «I believe the independence of '60 Minutes' has been critically important».
Cooper, who is now 58 years old, told USA Today that he left «60 Minutes» to spend more time with his children, sons Wyatt Morgan and Sebastian Luke.
«For nearly 20 years, I was able to balance work at CNN and CBS, but now I have young kids, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible while they still want to spend it with me», - said the seasoned correspondent.
During his final segment on CBS News, Cooper emphasized the impact of independent journalism on the viewers of «60 Minutes».
«I think the trust it has with viewers is critically important to the success of '60 Minutes'», - Cooper said. «When you see a '60 Minutes' piece and think, 'That was a really good story.' It’s a good story because it takes time, patience, and money. I hope that will be known, appreciated, and continue».
No, Cooper is not leaving CNN just because he left CBS. During his last appearance on «60 Minutes», - he acknowledged that «it was difficult» to balance his time outside CNN with CBS. Therefore, he will focus on his primary job at CNN.
«All the time I was doing pieces for '60 Minutes,' my primary job was at CNN, and it remains so», - Cooper said on «60 Minutes: Overtime». «It was really difficult to do the work necessary to create a great piece for '60 Minutes.'»
Cooper continued, «CNN doesn’t like it when I spend a lot of time working on a piece for '60 Minutes,' so I mostly worked on '60 Minutes' on weekends. My vacation time at CNN was spent working on pieces for '60 Minutes.' I enjoyed it, but it was challenging».
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cooper’s net worth is estimated at $ 60 million. According to several sources, he earns about $ 18 million a year at CNN
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
