Anderson Cooper to depart CBS ‘60 Minutes’ to focus on CNN and his family

Anderson Cooper has declined to motion a caller statement pinch 60 Minutes and will depart nan flagship CBS News show astatine nan extremity of nan existent season.

Cooper, who besides anchors news for CNN, has been a correspondent for 60 Minutes since 2006.

In a connection shared pinch Deadline, Cooper said, “Being a analogous astatine 60 Minutes has been 1 of nan awesome honors of my career. I sewage to show astonishing stories, and activity pinch immoderate of nan champion producers, editors, and camera crews successful nan business.

“For astir 20 years, I’ve been capable to equilibrium my jobs astatine CNN and CBS, but I person small kids now and I want to walk arsenic overmuch clip pinch them arsenic possible, while they still want to walk clip pinch me.”

Cooper’s determination to depart 60 Minutes comes astatine a tumultuous clip for nan show. Last month, CBS News pushed backmost astatine a study claiming editor-in-chief Bari Weiss held 1 of Cooper’s stories that was captious of Donald Trump’s policies.

The disputed conception by Cooper was astir nan Trump administration’s scheme to judge South African refugees, according to Status.

Trump has often repeated a debunked conspiracy mentation that a genocide of achromatic group was taking spot successful South Africa and group retired plans to prioritize achromatic South Africans' visa claims past October.

Sources told nan newsletter nan as-yet unaired conception was viewed by producers successful December, pinch Weiss giving “extensive editorial feedback.”

The newsletter, produced by a erstwhile CNN media reporter, besides suggested nan communicative was “all but guaranteed to provoke Trump” and that location had been an “abnormal” level of review.

However, a root adjacent to CBS News has denied nan claims and insists nan communicative is still being worked on.

“Bari Weiss did not clasp nan story,” nan root said successful a connection to The Independent astatine nan time. “The communicative was already going done our standard, rigorous editorial reappraisal led by executive shaper Tanya Simon, which led to aggregate screenings.

“The communicative was not held, it's still successful action and successful reporting stages pinch nan team,” they continued. “Tanya made nan determination to person nan squad proceed pinch their reporting.”

A erstwhile 60 Minutes report captious of Trump was pulled successful December, sparking backlash down nan scenes.

The other conception focused connected nan mistreatment of migrants sent by nan United States to CECOT, a situation successful El Salvador. The 13-minute clip was group to beryllium broadcast successful December earlier it was withdrawn earlier air.

Weiss, appointed arsenic CBS News editor-in-chief past year, attempted to warrant nan determination successful an email to unit astatine Christmas, arguing it was basal to “win back” nan spot of Americans disillusioned by web news.

However, Sharyn Alfonsi, nan newsman who produced nan CECOT segment, wrote successful a leaked email that she believes nan existent logic for nan communicative being axed was “corporate censorship.”

Sources astatine nan broadcaster later told The Independent that unit were fresh to “revolt” complete nan scandal. One personification moreover described it arsenic a “holy f***ing dumpster fire.”

The Independent has reached retired to Cooper and CBS for further comment.