Anderson Cooper leaving ’60 Minutes’ after nearly 20 years, reports say

(Gray News) - Anderson Cooper is leaving “60 Minutes” after nearly 20 years on the CBS program, according to multiple reports.

“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career. I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business,” Cooper said in a statement to Variety.

The statement continued, “For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but 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 had been in talks with CBS about a renewal in recent weeks, but he decided to focus more on his work at CNN.

Last year, he signed a contract with CNN, hosting his primetime show, along with the Sunday newsmagazine “The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper” and the podcast and streaming series “All There Is.”

Cooper started on “60 Minutes” during the 2006-07 season, taking home multiple Emmy wins along the way.