Anderson Cooper to leave long-running newsmagazine after nearly 20 years
Anderson Cooper announced on Monday evening ET that he will not renew his role as a correspondent on the venerable newsmagazine where he has worked for almost two decades. Cooper framed the move as a choice to prioritize young children and family time, but his departure arrives amid significant upheaval in the newsroom under recently installed leadership.
Cooper cites family as primary reason — but friction looms
In a brief statement, Cooper called serving as a correspondent on the newsmagazine "one of the great honors" of his career and said he relished the opportunity to tell major stories while collaborating with seasoned producers, editors and camera crews. He noted that balancing that role with his primetime cable show had been possible for years, but with "little kids now I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me. " The announcement came on Monday evening ET.
That rationale aligns with Cooper's public persona as a high-profile multirole journalist, but industry observers point to broader tensions inside the news organization that may have accelerated his decision. The newsroom has undergone a rapid leadership overhaul since a new owner installed an editor-in-chief with a background outside broadcast television, raising questions about editorial independence and newsroom direction.
Editorial clashes and a held investigation
Tensions have been visible since last winter, when new editorial decision-making led to a major investigative segment being held back. The piece in question examined a prison in El Salvador that received migrants from Venezuela; editorial leadership instructed producers to delay the report, citing a lack of comment or perspective from the Trump administration, which had declined to participate in the reporting process. That intervention prompted unease among investigative teams and contributed to doubts about how newsroom priorities would be set going forward.
Cooper's exit comes as part of a broader reshuffling of staff in recent weeks. Several prominent on-air and behind-the-scenes roles have been revisited as the newsroom adapts to the priorities of its new leadership and ownership. For viewers and colleagues, the departures underscore a period of uncertainly for a program long regarded for its investigative reporting and extended feature journalism.
Career highlights and next steps
Cooper joined the cable network in 2001 and has built a resume punctuated by major international and domestic reporting assignments, from war coverage to natural disasters and high-profile investigative pieces. His contributions to the newsmagazine over the past two decades have included work on long Covid sufferers and a report about a wreck near Mobile, Alabama, tied to the nation’s history of transatlantic slavery.
The correspondent arrangement with the newsmagazine began in the 2006–07 season and allowed Cooper to divide time between his cable anchor duties and magazine reporting. He will remain on the newsmagazine through the current season, while choosing not to sign a new agreement that would extend his role.
A newsletter by journalist Lachlan Cartwright first flagged Cooper’s impending departure, and follow-up accounts in the industry have emphasized the interplay of personal priorities and institutional friction in the timing of his decision. For now, Cooper’s statement places family first, and the newsroom he helped shape is preparing for a post-Cooper lineup amid continuing leadership changes.
As the season concludes, the program and its leadership will face pressure to reassure viewers and staff alike that long-form investigative work will continue uninterrupted, even as personnel shifts alter the show’s roster of correspondents.
