Anderson Cooper is signing off from 60 Minutes after more than two decades with the long-running news program.
In an interview about the legacy left behind by the show, the seasoned reporter talked about how the show affected him way before he was its correspondent.
“Has it been 20 years? Wow. More than 20 years. Yeah, it’s been a hell of a ride.”
Anderson Cooper recalled growing up idolizing the show and eventually found himself roaming the same corridors as the likes of Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Ed Bradley, and Bob Simon.
“So this is crazy. This is my last shoot for 60 Minutes. 60 Minutes has always been a place, at least for me, that you get to step into somebody else’s shoes. You get to see things through their eyes and see what their struggles are and what they are facing, and you learn from that.”
In the video, Anderson Cooper expresses deep admiration for the high standards and reputation of his legendary colleagues.
“You never knew what you were going to get, but you were willing to go for the ride because you trust the people on it that was going to be a good story. To me, what was great about 60 Minutes was the mix of stories, like a hard-hitting piece of journalism, an investigative report.”
Anderson Cooper reveals he wants to spend more time with his children after 60 Minutes departure
The broadcaster also explains the difficulty of balancing his full-time role at CNN with his 60 Minutes assignments.
“So, I’ve worked mostly for 60 Minutes on weekends, and my vacation time at CNN has been working on 60 Minutes pieces. I’ve loved it but it’s been tough. I always imagine, like, ‘Okay, when I don’t want to be in the daily news grind, I’d love to just tell 60 Minutes stories.’ But when I had kids, the reality of having kids is different than anything you can kind of imagine.”
Anderson Cooper went on, sharing that as a father, he now wants to dedicate more time to his children while they are young.
“I’ve got a 4-year-old and a, just now, 6-year-old, and I want to spend as much time with them as I can while they still want to spend time with me. And those days, that clock is ticking, I think.”
Nonetheless, he also expressed his grief over the role he’s about to let go.
“I don’t think the reality has really hit me that I’m not going to be doing this any longer. You know, to give up something you’ve watched since you were a kid, yeah, I will miss this.”
The video ends with a touching glimpse into the making of the classic “I’m Anderson Cooper” sign-off, bringing an end to his 20-year career, and causing him to take a break when he fought back tears.
Cooper first announced his resignation from 60 Minutes in February. His first-ever broadcast as an anchor on the show aired on December 10, 2006.
His exit took effect today, May 17, 2026.
Watch Anderson Cooper’s farewell interview here:
Edited by Gladys Altamarino