Correspondent Anderson Cooper has signed off for good from 60 Minutes after almost 20 years on the CBS mainstay as he expressed a want to spend extra time along with his two younger children — however sources say his departure is a basic case of him leaping earlier than he was pushed as community honcho Bari Weiss revamps the news division.
What’s extra, insiders say the clock’s ticking for Cooper at NCS, too, though he inked a new contract with the beleaguered community in late 2025.
“It may seem like Anderson has job security [at CNN] right now, but so much can change in the blink of an eye, and there’s been a lot of backbiting and division at the network over the decision to give him that new deal,” an insider says.
“The upshot is that he could still very easily get pushed out if ratings fall flat, and bosses are watching him like a hawk — especially as he seems so burnt out and champing at the bit to cut back his hours and enjoy a more laidback lifestyle.”
Anderson Cooper/Instagram
Cooper, 59, has defined that juggling his 60 Minutes duties and Anderson Cooper 360 left too little time for his sons — Wyatt, 6, and Sebastian, 4, who he coparents with ex Benjamin Maisani.
“I want to spend as much time with them as I can while they still want to spend time with me,” Cooper shared throughout a segment on 60 Minutes Overtime. “And those days, that clock is ticking, I think.”
Citing Cooper’s reported $20 million annual payday at NCS, the insider confides, “Nobody would deny him the right to family time, but the elephant in the room is his colossal salary. You don’t earn what he earns and not have to work your tail off to justify it —whoever you are.
CBS News
“For Anderson, image is all-important, which is why a lot of people are convinced he bit the bullet and called time on 60 Minutes before they did it for him.”
According to the supply, savvy Cooper will “keep squeezing the NCS cash lemon for as long as he can” — until another incredible opportunity comes along, reminiscent of his rumored dream gig internet hosting Jeopardy!
The insider provides: “But the long hours and needing to prove himself to bosses day in and day out is getting tiresome to him. Only time will tell how long he’ll be able to keep it up.”
This story NCS Bosses Watching Anderson Cooper ‘Like a Hawk’ After ’60 Minutes’ Exit: ‘He Seems So Burnt Out’ first appeared on Globe. Follow Globe on Yahoo so that you don’t miss what’s coming subsequent.