Anderson Cooper signed off from 60 Minutes after a 20-year run, becoming emotional during his final appearance on the legendary newsmagazine as he said goodbye to a role he described as one of the great honors of his career.
The 58-year-old journalist delivered his final report during Sunday’s season finale, filing a segment on London’s taxi industry as it faces disruption from autonomous vehicle technology.
But it was Cooper’s closing moments that drew attention.
As he prepared to deliver his signature sign-off, Cooper visibly choked up.
After looking down for several seconds while holding back tears, he looked into the camera and repeated his traditional closing line three times.
“I’m Anderson Cooper.”
The emotional farewell was followed by an extended CBS News interview reflecting on his two decades with the program.
At the start of the segment, Cooper spoke about his childhood connection to 60 Minutes and how deeply personal the program had always been to him.
“I was a weird little kid. I liked watching the news,” Cooper said.
“After my dad died, there was a lot of silence in my house, and we’d watch the news over dinner.”
He said joining the program in 2006 felt surreal.
“I could not believe that I was on ‘60 Minutes,’” he said.
Looking back, Cooper reflected on some of the more dangerous assignments he accepted over the years.
He recalled diving with Nile crocodiles and being temporarily blinded after riding a jet ski over massive waves in Portugal.
But Cooper said the most meaningful stories were not celebrity interviews.
While he sat down with major public figures, including Prince Harry, Lady Gaga, and the late Donald Sutherland, he said lesser-known stories stayed with him the most.
“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’s homes.”
“You’re invited into their struggles, you’re invited into whatever it is that has brought them to be on ‘60 Minutes.’”
Despite the professional fulfillment, Cooper said balancing 60 Minutes with his full-time CNN role became increasingly difficult.
He remains the anchor of Anderson Cooper 360°, a position he is keeping.
“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 the work came at the expense of personal time.
“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 family drove the decision.
The father of two said he wants to spend more time with his young sons, Wyatt and Sebastian.
“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 added that he hopes the iconic program remains part of future generations.
“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 stretch for CBS News, which has seen leadership changes and internal controversy in recent months.
Still, Cooper’s farewell centered less on newsroom drama and more on gratitude for two decades at one of television’s most respected institutions.