Failed efforts to keep Anderson Cooper at “60 Minutes” became the latest opportunity to criticize CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and her alleged “discomfort.”
Once a respected weekly program, “60 Minutes” and the antics of its correspondents have increasingly faced challenges up to and including the settlement of a lawsuit over alleged election interference for how it edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Now, as Cooper announced he was passing on a renewal offer to stay with “60 Minutes,” Oliver Darcy reported how some saw this as “another black eye for Bari.”
Initially reported by Breaker Media founder Lachlan Cartwright, the longtime CNN personality released a statement detailing, “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.”
“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,” said the openly homosexual political commentator who has two sons born via surrogacy whom he co-parents with his ex-partner Benjamin Maisani.
Of course, as leftists have seethed over every move being made at CBS News, including the decision to orient broadcasts around “five simple principles” that included love for America, Darcy suggested there was more at play than the surface-level explanation.
“Suffice to say, Cooper left out a crucial reason–perhaps the reason–as to why he had made the decision to exit the venerable newsmagazine. While his desire to spend more time with his young family certainly played a role in the decision to pass up on the Bari Weiss-led network’s renewal offer, it was not the only factor. Far from it,” he wrote in his Status newsletter.
The report claimed Cooper was on the shortlist for the anchor gig with “CBS Evening News” that went to Tony Dokoupil after Weiss “not only failed to persuade Cooper to grow his footprint at the network, but ultimately helped chase him away from it entirely.”
To back up the claim, Darcy cited sources alleging “discomfort with Weiss” and the “direction” of the show under her leadership. This included one source who contended, “This is another black eye for Bari. CBS is losing a talented storyteller whom she wanted to keep. Remember, she tried to poach him full-time last year.”
Darcy had previously referred to the idea that Weiss may have been interested in having Fox News anchor Bret Baier take the position at “CBS Evening News” as one “sure to raise eyebrows,” as his report on Cooper further criticized the editor-in-chief for having “inserted herself into the editorial process” applying an “intense level of editorial scrutiny.”
Meanwhile, “60 Minutes'” current reputation spoke for itself as news of Cooper’s timed-out departure found many surprised to learn he’d been working for the program in the first place.
I thought he worked at CNN. Legit confused.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) February 17, 2026
I had no idea he worked for 60 Minutes.
— Joanne (@Ocuroj) February 17, 2026
Huh, who knew??? I thought he worked at CNN
— Teesha Riley (@TeeshaRiley) February 16, 2026
Did AC really work for CBS if no one viewed his reporting?
— Clear POV (@clear_pov) February 17, 2026
That’s what everyone’s saying, because nobody watches CNN or 60 minutes. 🤣
— Kitty 🇺🇸 (@KittyOnX_) February 17, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.