Anderson Cooper Signs Off From 60 Minutes After 20 Years

Anderson Cooper ended his 20-year run on 60 Minutes with an emotional farewell, closing a major chapter in a career that made him one of the most recognizable figures in American television news.

The 58-year-old journalist delivered his final report during Sunday’s season finale, presenting a segment on London’s taxi industry as it faces growing pressure from autonomous vehicle technology.

But it was Cooper’s final moments on the broadcast that drew the most attention.

As he prepared to deliver his familiar sign-off, Cooper became visibly emotional. He looked down for several seconds, appeared to fight back tears, and then looked into the camera to repeat his traditional closing line three times.

“I’m Anderson Cooper.”

The farewell was followed by an extended CBS News interview in which Cooper reflected on his two decades with the program and the personal meaning 60 Minutes held for him long before he ever appeared on it.

“I was a weird little kid. I liked watching news,” Cooper said.

“After my dad died, there was a lot of silence in my house, and we’d watch the news over dinner.”

Cooper said joining the program in 2006 felt almost unreal.

“I could not believe that I was on ‘60 Minutes,’” he said.

Over the years, Cooper took on a wide range of assignments, some of them dangerous. He recalled diving with Nile crocodiles and being temporarily blinded after riding a jet ski over enormous waves in Portugal.

Yet despite the celebrity interviews and high-profile segments, Cooper said the stories that stayed with him most were often the quieter ones involving ordinary people.

He interviewed major public figures during his time on the program, including Prince Harry, Lady Gaga, and the late Donald Sutherland. But Cooper said the deeper value of the work came from entering the lives of people facing difficult, unusual, or deeply personal circumstances.

“The thing is, it’s never felt like work,” Cooper said.

“It’s felt like you’re stepping into people’s lives, and you’re invited into people homes.”

“You’re invited into their struggles, you’re invited into whatever it is that has brought them to be on ‘60 Minutes.’”

Cooper said the decision to leave was not about losing affection for the program. Instead, it came down to the realities of balancing 60 Minutes with his full-time role at CNN, where he remains anchor of Anderson Cooper 360°.

“The whole time I’ve done pieces for ‘60 Minutes,’ my full-time job has been over at CNN and still is,” Cooper said.

“And it’s been really challenging to do the kind of work you need to do to have a great ‘60 Minutes’ piece.”

He explained that much of his 60 Minutes work had to be done outside his normal CNN schedule.

“CNN doesn’t like it if I take a lot of time off to work on a ‘60 Minutes’ piece,” he said.

“I’ve worked mostly for ‘60 Minutes’ on weekends.”

“My vacation time at CNN has been working on ‘60 Minutes’ pieces.”

“And I’ve loved it, but it’s been tough.”

Ultimately, Cooper said his family was the deciding factor.

As the father of two young sons, Wyatt and Sebastian, Cooper said he wants to be more present during the years when they still want that time with him.

“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,” Cooper said.

“And those days, that clock is ticking, I think.”

He also expressed hope that 60 Minutes will continue long enough for future generations, including his own children and grandchildren, to experience it.

“I hope ‘60 Minutes’ is around for when my kids grow up and have kids of their own, and they can watch it with their kids,” he said.

CBS first announced Cooper’s departure in February, saying the network understood his desire to focus on family and would welcome him back if he ever chose to return, USA Today reported.

His exit comes during a turbulent period for CBS News, which has faced leadership changes and internal controversy in recent months.

Still, Cooper’s goodbye avoided the larger newsroom battles and focused instead on gratitude, family, and the privilege of contributing to one of television journalism’s most enduring institutions.

For two decades, Cooper brought his name, his voice, and his emotional reporting style to 60 Minutes. On Sunday, he left the program not with a political statement, but with a simple sign-off that clearly meant more than just the end of a segment.