Anderson Cooper ‘Blindsided’ CBS News Boss Bari Weiss With ’60 Minutes’ Comments
What To Know
- Bari Weiss was reportedly “blindsided” and “furious” over Anderson Cooper’s critical comments about 60 Minutes future.
- Cooper said it’s crucial to maintain the show’s independence and legacy.
- The host’s sendoff aired on Sunday’s (May 17) edition of the long-running news magazine program.
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was reportedly “blindsided” by comments made by Anderson Cooper during his final sendoff segment on last Sunday’s (May 17) 60 Minutes.
According to Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter, Weiss was not given a heads-up about Cooper’s remarks, which he made in an interview that aired on 60 Minutes’ Overtime series on YouTube. In the interview, Cooper reflected on his 20 years at the iconic news magazine show and shared his thoughts on its future, which some took as criticism of Weiss.
“I hope 60 Minutes remains 60 Minutes,” Cooper stated, noting how important it is that the show keep its independence. “There’s very few things that have been around as long as 60 Minutes has and maintained the quality that it has. And things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome. And things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains.”
He also said that the person overseeing the program “requires an appreciation of the history and the sacrifices and the hard work of the people here,” which some interpreted as a shot at Weiss, who has been putting her stamp on 60 Minutes in recent months.
Weiss was reportedly “furious” over the comments, per Darcy, especially that they aired on a CBS News platform. He noted that the humiliation must have stung extra hard, since Weiss had tried to keep Cooper at the network and expand his presence there.
In February, Cooper announced he would be leaving 60 Minutes after more than 20 years. While he stated it was to spend more time with his family, sources told Darcy that Cooper wasn’t aligned with the “rightward direction” of CBS News under Weiss and Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison.
During his final episode, Cooper told viewers, “I don’t think the reality has 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.”
60 Minutes, Sundays, 7/6 c, CBS
Conversation17 Comments
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J
She was blindsided? She must be living in the MAGA bubble. There is uproar over the fact that the head of CBS news is leaning so right, she’s toppled over and taken the decades long credibility of 60 minutes with her.
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R
if you are not a communist you are too far right?????
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L
to the communists anyone who isn't is "far right". That's why they lost and will continue to lose. They've lost the plot.
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J
Hahahahaha! Well done Anderson! 👏👏👏👏 Weiss needs to go. She clearly can’t read the room. I don’t think she acknowledged, or appreciated, the show’s more intelligent audience. CBS ‘News’ has lost all credibility and will become irrelevant. And now losing Stephen Colbert, the network itself will just be stale dramas and stale game/reality shows.
I am looking forward to whatever both Colbert and AC do in the future; two incredibly talented and intelligent men.
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R
Jemma, Your name should be Karen. You really lost me when you mentioned Colbert.
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A
Her name is Jenna, SFB!
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A
Right!
Too many spin-off shows, reality and crime shows!
Nothing original!
It's like viewing the same show just with different actors!
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G
Good for him!! The man had both tact and class. Something Weiss truly misses. She need to go and quickly before she does more damage ( if that’s even possible)
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L
he has and has had neither. He's a pure propagandist. Do you remember him standing in a hole to report weather? Do you remember him blindly repeating lies for YEARS that had proven to be lies? If not, you need to wake up to the lies you've been told.
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H
The whole company is slowly falling apart, and the new owners are oblivious to it. Morale could not be any lower.
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S
"Barbi" has no business doing what she's done to CBS. COWARDS AT THE HELM
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L
you sad that the propaganda has been exposed?
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R
Many years ago, 60 Minutes did a "hit" job on a Federal agency where I worked. And I was intimately involved with the issue they attacked.maliciously & untruthfully. They lied to the American people & from that point I had no trust in anything they did.
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L
they've been doing it a long time.
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L
60 Minutes went to crap. Their edits all went one way, anyone with a brain saw it happen. Anderson's a propagandist and always has been.
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T
Good Riddance to that Old Queen.
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J
Are you referring to Bari? Or her wife?
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