Anderson Cooper has called it quits on CBS’s “60 Minutes” after nearly two decades with the show.
Cooper, who is a political commentator on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” and a correspondent on “60 Minutes,” said on Monday that he would be leaving the latter job.
“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career,” he said in a statement to multiple news outlets.
“For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me,” he added.
Cooper, 58, joined “60 Minutes” in 2006 and has become one of its most recognizable hosts.
In a statement to Business Insider, a CBS spokesperson said, “For more than two decades, Anderson Cooper has taken 60 Minutes viewers on journeys to faraway places, told us unforgettable stories, reported consequential investigations and interviewed many prominent figures.”
“We’re grateful to him for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family,” the spokesperson added. “60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return.”
Cooper’s exit comes on the heels of months of controversy for the show.
In December, CBS’s newly installed editor in chief, Bari Weiss, pulled a “60 Minutes” segment about the Trump administration deporting migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison. She said in a memo to staffers that she held the story back “to make sure it is comprehensive and fair.”
CBS staff called the move a political one and criticized Weiss for censoring journalism. Weiss was handpicked by David Ellison, the owner of Paramount Skydance, in October.
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