Cooper bid farewell to the program in an extended interview, during which he reflected on his path from a childhood viewer to a correspondent who interviewed figures such as Prince Harry. Cooper will remain a CNN host after appearing on 60 Minutes for nearly 20 years.
The 58-year-old cited time spent away from his family during the interview and in February when he decided to resign, saying then “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.”
Cooper’s departure comes during a period of change at CBS after former New York Times opinion editor and founder of The Free Press Bari Weiss was appointed as editor-in-chief last October.
Weiss has faced internal and external criticism for editorial decisions since taking over, including delaying the release of a 60 Minutes report about the conditions within El Salvador’s CECOT prison. Critics said it was held for political reasons, while Weiss stated the original version of the story wasn’t ready because it didn’t include comments from a White House official and meaningfully build on existing reporting. The segment ultimately aired largely unchanged weeks later.
Cooper said in the interview he hopes “60 Minutes remains 60 Minutes” though “things can always evolve and change. But I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains.” Cooper also said he thinks the show’s independence “has been critical.”
FOX NEWS’S KAYLEIGH MCENANY ON FAITH, FAMILY, AND CAREER
CBS’s February statement about Cooper’s departure said he can always return to host the show.
Cooper said in the interview he has mostly worked on 60 Minutes pieces on the weekends and during vacation time. “It’s been really challenging to do the kind of work you need to do to have a great ‘60 Minutes’ piece,” he said.
