Anderson Cooper to depart long-running newsmagazine amid newsroom overhaul
Anderson Cooper announced on Monday evening ET that he will leave his role at a flagship newsmagazine after nearly two decades. Cooper framed the decision as a desire to spend more time with his young children, but his exit comes amid a wider management and editorial shake-up that has prompted questions about the program’s future.
Family time cited, but deeper tensions linger
In a brief statement released Monday evening ET, Anderson Cooper called his tenure at the newsmagazine “one of the great honors” of his career and emphasized his wish to be present for his children while they still want to spend time with him. He noted that for nearly 20 years he had balanced responsibilities on his cable anchor role and his correspondent work at the newsmagazine, and that balance has become harder to sustain.
Insiders in media circles say that family considerations were a factor, though not the only one. Cooper did not sign a renewal agreement, a development that will bring his nearly two-decade run to a close when the current season wraps. The decision unfolded against a backdrop of internal upheaval, with staff and on-air talent adjusting to new leadership and shifting newsroom priorities.
Editorial changes and questions about independence
The newsroom has been transformed since the owner installed a new editor-in-chief late last year. That appointment has fueled debate about editorial independence, particularly after leadership intervened in at least one investigative piece. An order was issued to hold a segment examining a detention facility in El Salvador where migrants were sent; leadership criticized the piece for lacking the perspective of the prior administration, which had declined comment when approached.
Those editorial decisions have amplified concerns among journalists and producers who worry the newsmagazine’s standards and autonomy are under stress. Cooper’s departure is the highest-profile exit to date and comes as other staff changes and reassessments of the program’s investigative posture continue.
Legacy, notable work and what comes next
Cooper has been attached to the newsmagazine since the 2006–2007 season, producing high-profile reports ranging from long-term Covid-19 conditions to a maritime discovery believed to be the last slave ship to have landed on U. S. shores. Before that, he rose to national prominence covering major stories including the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
His dual-role arrangement—anchoring a prime-time cable program while serving as a correspondent for the storied newsmagazine—has been a defining feature of his career. With his departure, the program will lose a familiar face whose reporting often blended on-the-ground enterprise journalism with a national television profile.
Executives have not announced who will replace him on the roster of correspondents, and it remains unclear how the broader roster and editorial assignments will be rearranged. For Cooper, the immediate future he outlined is focused on family and stepping back from the cadence of dual broadcast obligations.
The exit highlights broader questions about the direction of legacy news operations under new management and whether editorial priorities will shift in response to leadership changes. Industry observers say the coming weeks will be watched closely for further departures, contract negotiations and editorial decisions that will indicate where the program — and the newsroom more broadly — is headed.
