Anderson Cooper has announced he is leaving CBS News’ 60 Minutes. However, his exit has nothing to do with controversies or contract issues. Instead, there is an entirely different reason behind Cooper’s departure — and it centers on family.
On February 16, it was revealed that the 16‑time Emmy Award‑winning journalist is ending his tenure at 60 Minutes after nearly 20 years contributing to the program.
“Being a correspondent at ‘60 Minutes’ has been one of the highlights of my career. I got to tell amazing stories and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” Cooper said in a statement. “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 want to spend time with me.”
Cooper also hosts a podcast centered on grief that has grown increasingly popular, along with a Sunday long‑form program called The Whole Story.
CBS News said Monday evening that it was “grateful” to Cooper for “dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understands the importance of spending more time with family. 60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return.”
Anderson Cooper leaving 60 Minutes
As Cooper noted, his departure had nothing to do with failed negotiations or internal issues. Instead, it marks the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.
He now wants to focus on raising his two children, Wyatt and Sebastian. Becoming a father changed his life profoundly, but as a child coming to terms with being gay, he never imagined parenthood was possible.
“When I was 12 years old and knew I was gay and thought about my life, it always upset me because I thought, ‘I will never be able to have a kid,’” Anderson Cooper told People in 2020.
On April 30, 2020, Cooper revealed on‑air that he had become a father. Three days earlier, his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, had been born.
He introduced Wyatt to the public on Instagram. Alongside a photo of the baby, he wrote, “This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten.”
The name Morgan came from his parents, who once considered it for Anderson.
“I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me,” he continued. “I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, watched over him lovingly and tenderly, and gave birth to him.”
Focusing on fatherhood
Cooper also thanked the surrogate’s husband and children, calling their support an “extraordinary blessing,” and added, “My family is blessed to have this family in our lives.” He also mentioned the family members he wished could have been there to share the moment.
“It feels like my life has actually begun,” he told People in June 2020. “This is a new level of love. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced.”
Just one week after Wyatt’s birth, Cooper shared that he and his ex‑partner, Benjamin Maisani, would raise the child together. The two split in 2018 after many years together but remained close friends. In 2022, they welcomed their second son, Sebastian Luke. Even though they are no longer a couple, they continue to co‑parent.
“It’s probably an unusual setup,” Cooper told People in 2021, adding, “but I knew he would be a great dad and he is.”
“I want to be the best parent I can be”
Cooper has said he is open to having more children one day, though in 2022 he noted that “there’s nothing planned.”
“I want to be the best parent I can be,” he said.
In a September 2023 cover story, Cooper shared that these early years of parenting mean everything to him.
He described parenting as “the best time in my life,” adding that it brings him “moments of such bliss, humor and gentleness and sheer delight that it stuns me.”
Let’s all wish Anderson Cooper the very best moving forward. Share this article if you believe having children is wonderful, too.
