💔 Anderson Cooper Bids Emotional Goodbye To 60 Minutes After Nearly 20 Years: ‘I Will Miss This’

Anderson Cooper has officially said goodbye to 60 Minutes after nearly two decades, closing one of the most meaningful chapters of his career with an emotional farewell that left longtime viewers deeply moved. 💔

The 58-year-old journalist, who joined the legendary CBS newsmagazine during the 2006-07 television season while continuing his work at CNN, marked his final appearance on Sunday, May 17. In a reflective 60 Minutes Overtime segment shared on YouTube, Cooper looked back on 20 years of extraordinary reporting, unforgettable assignments and the difficult personal decision that finally led him to step away.

For Cooper, leaving 60 Minutes is not simply the end of another professional role. It is the end of something he grew up watching, admired for decades and later became part of himself. As he delivered his final signature sign-off — “I’m Anderson Cooper” — he appeared visibly emotional, pausing as the reality of the moment seemed to settle over him.

“I don’t think the reality has really hit me that I’m not gonna be doing this any longer,” he admitted. “To give up something that you’ve watched since you were a kid, yeah, I will miss this.” ✨

Cooper’s departure comes three months after he announced he would be leaving the programme for family reasons. The CNN anchor is father to sons Wyatt, 6, and Sebastian, 4, whom he shares with his ex Benjamin Maisani. And while Cooper has spent years balancing the demanding grind of Anderson Cooper 360° with the intense storytelling of 60 Minutes, fatherhood has changed the emotional equation.

He explained that much of his vacation time from CNN had been spent working on 60 Minutes stories — work he loved, but work that also took him away from home. For years, he imagined that one day, when he no longer wanted the daily-news pressure, he might focus entirely on long-form 60 Minutes reporting. But having young children changed everything.

The moment that crystallised the decision came while he was filming in South Africa. A colleague told him about the last time his own son allowed him to hold his hand while walking to school — a small, ordinary memory that suddenly hit Cooper with devastating force. He was thousands of miles away while his own child was going to school that day, and the ache of missing those fleeting moments became impossible to ignore. 🌹

Cooper said he wants to spend as much time as possible with his boys while they still want to spend time with him. “That clock is ticking,” he reflected — a painfully honest line that will resonate with any parent who knows childhood does not wait.

Over his two decades at 60 Minutes, Cooper became one of the rare journalists able to hold major roles at both a cable news network and a broadcast institution. His work took him around the world, into dangerous places and deeply human stories. In his farewell, he remembered dramatic assignments, including diving near crocodiles and even briefly losing part of his eyesight after jet-skiing for an interview in Portugal.

But beneath the adventure was always Cooper’s signature style: calm, empathetic, searching and deeply serious about truth. He brought the same intensity to celebrity interviews, international crises, human-interest stories and investigations — never making himself bigger than the story, but always making viewers feel closer to it. 🌍

Cooper will remain at CNN, where he renewed his contract in December 2025 and continues to anchor Anderson Cooper 360°. He will also continue co-hosting CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special with Andy Cohen, a very different but beloved part of his public life.

Still, leaving 60 Minutes is a major farewell. Cooper spoke with admiration for the programme’s history, saying there are few things that have lasted as long while maintaining such quality. He said he hopes the show continues to evolve while protecting what matters most: its core identity, independence and the trust it has built with viewers.

His exit also comes during a period of change and tension at CBS News, including leadership shifts and controversy around the programme. But Cooper’s farewell was not about newsroom politics. It was about gratitude, memory and the human cost of a career spent chasing stories around the world.

For nearly 20 years, Anderson Cooper gave 60 Minutes his curiosity, courage and emotional intelligence. Now, he is choosing something even more precious: time with his children while they are still young enough to reach for his hand.

And as he said goodbye, one thing was clear — he is not leaving because the work stopped mattering. He is leaving because family matters more. 💙