Explosive real reason Anderson Cooper quit 60 Minutes: CBS insiders reveal foul-mouthed barb... as network is forced into humiliating admission about remaining stars
Anderson Cooper chose not to renew his '60 Minutes' contract with CBS to 'protect his brand', the Daily Mail understands.
A source said broadcast veteran Anderson, 58, believes he has built his reputation on trustworthy reporting and fears that new, anti-woke network leadership would suppress anti-Trump stories.
In a statement this week, Cooper said his nearly 20 years on the program have been 'one of the great honors of my career'. But his departure is said to have left CBS executives flat-footed and concerned about a lack of big names to carry the struggling network.
Insiders told the Daily Mail that Anderson was seen by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and president Tom Cibrowski as one of the network's 'marquee talents' and was poised to become the face of the flagship show.
But Cooper announced he was pulling out this week, with the official excuse being that he wants to spend more time with his two young sons.
The source close to Anderson said: 'This has been on the cards for a little bit. He didn't like the direction that things were going.
'He knew there would be battles: he'd want to do a story and then the CBS overlords would say no, and it would become a thing.
'He has worked too long and too hard for this, building his reputation and his brand, getting people to trust him. And then he's going to let Bari decide she doesn't want him to do a story because it's not pro-Trump? F*** that, respectfully.'
Anderson Cooper chose not to renew his '60 Minutes' contract with CBS to 'protect his brand', the Daily Mail understands.
The tensions come after CBS' parent company Paramount was acquired by Skydance Media last summer – a deal that required federal approval.
There were accusations the network curtailed to the Trump Administration to push the merger through.
At the same time, turmoil at '60 Minutes' had been mounting.
The show was at the center of a lawsuit that President Trump filed against Paramount during the 2024 presidential campaign over what he claimed was false editing of a pre-election interview with the Democratic candidate for president, Kamala Harris.
Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to the President last July.
In October, Weiss – the former New York Times opinion editor who went on to found anti-woke outlet The Free Press – was brought in by Skydance CEO David Ellison to head-up CBS News, urging staff to 'embrace a wide spectrum of views.'
'60 Minutes' was said to be of central importance to her.
And indeed, in December, internecine controversy erupted after a planned segment on the program featuring a Salvadoran mega-prison housing deported Venezuelan migrants was pulled hours before going to air.
The decision drew backlash from network staff and accusations that the move was politically motivated.
Our source continued: '[Anderson] is too much of a gentleman to say this, but he thinks they've become cowardly at best. At worst, they're fascists.
'Either way it's not a good look. He's not going to have his good name tarnished like that. That's the wrong place to hitch his wagon.
'Let me be clear: it's not like Anderson to do hit pieces and he wasn't going to do big anti-Trump stories just for the hell of it. But he wants to do through, fair, investigative pieces and it goes against that if someone can kill the piece because they're worried about some merger or action taken by the administration. So he didn't renew.'
In October, Bari Weiss (pictured) was brought in by Skydance CEO David Ellison to head-up CBS News, urging staff to 'embrace a wide spectrum of views.'
Anderson's departure also comes as CBS faces ratings pressure.
CBS insiders told the Daily Mail: 'There was no negotiation [with Anderson] because he was basically like, "I'm out and my decision is final."
'There was no coaxing him back. He was done. And that leaves us in a weird spot because who's our talent now?
'Who's the name? He would have been the marquee and he's gone. We don't have a deep bench, really.
'We never really have. So who's going to leave next? And who can we get? Those are questions that we have to ask ourselves.'
There is little sympathy from Anderson's camp.
The source close to the star said: 'Yes [CBS execs] were surprised. They had planned on him returning and his decision probably came out of the blue to them… but if they had been paying attention, they'd have seen it coming.
'I am sure they're scrambling, but that's not Anderson's problem. That's theirs.'
The Daily Mail has contacted CBS, Cooper and Bari Weiss for comment.
