Anderson Cooper appeared to take a thinly veiled dig at Bari Weiss and the future direction of “60 Minutes” during an emotional farewell Sunday night — offering up a pointed defense of the legendary newsmagazine’s “independence.”
Cooper, who announced earlier this year that he was stepping away from the show after nearly two decades as a correspondent, used his final “60 Minutes Overtime” segment to express his “hope” that “’60 Minutes’ remains ’60 Minutes’.”
Cooper, who was poised to become the face of “60 Minutes” under Weiss before surprising CBS executives by letting them know that he was out, did not mention the editor in chief by name during the farewell segment.
The remarks landed as Weiss, the Free Press co-founder installed atop CBS News by Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison, has rattled veterans of the Tiffany Network by inserting herself into “60 Minutes” editorial decisions and booking calls — moves that have fueled fears she is trying to remake the famously independent broadcast.
“There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ’60 Minutes’ has and maintain the quality that it has,” Cooper, the CNN primetime host who first joined “60 Minutes” in 2007, said in the “Overtime” segment that was posted online on Sunday.
While Cooper acknowledged that “things can always evolve and change,” he added that he hoped “the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains.”
“I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical,” Cooper said. “I think also the variety of stories … and I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes’.”
CBS publicly framed Cooper’s departure as a family decision, with the CNN anchor saying earlier this year that he wanted to spend more time with his young children.
Status previously reported that Cooper had also grown increasingly uncomfortable with the “rightward direction” of the network and frustration inside “60 Minutes” over Weiss’ growing editorial involvement.
Cooper also stressed during his farewell that strong “60 Minutes” journalism requires “time,” “patience” and “money,” before adding that it also requires “an appreciation of the history and the sacrifices and the hard work of the people here.”
In recent months, Weiss has become a lightning rod inside the network after intervening in several high-profile editorial matters tied to “60 Minutes” — which has long enjoyed relative autonomy within the CBS News division.
The most explosive dispute centered on the “Inside CECOT” segment about Venezuelan deportees sent to El Salvador.
The piece was pulled shortly before airtime in December after Weiss reportedly insisted the broadcast needed additional reporting and more input from the Trump administration.
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who has hired a high-powered attorney in preparation for what is expected to be a parting of the ways from CBS News, strongly objected internally, arguing that the administration’s refusal to participate should not amount to a veto over the segment.
Weiss later defended the decision publicly, saying the delay reflected a commitment to fairness and thorough reporting.
More recently, Weiss took an active role in arranging a high-profile interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The segment ultimately went to CBS chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett rather than longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl, who had reportedly been pursuing the interview herself.
“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,” a CBS News spokesperson told The Post.
“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 that “’60 Minutes’ will be here if he ever wants to return.”
“Being a correspondent at ’60 Minutes’ has been one of the great honors of my career,” Cooper said in a statement.
“I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business.”
Cooper added that “[f]or 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.”
The post Anderson Cooper takes thinly veiled dig at Bari Weiss in ‘60 Minutes’ farewell: ‘Independence has been critical’ appeared first on New York Post.
