Anderson Cooper Officially Ends '60 Minutes' Tenure After 20 Years

After two decades and literally hundreds of hours on CBS's airwaves, Anderson Cooper has officially signed off from his long-running stint at the network's famed 60 Minutes program.

According to CBS News, the 58-year-old Cooper concluded his time on the show with an emotional farewell, reflecting on the numerous memories he made during his time on the program.

"The thing is, it's never felt like work. It's felt like you're stepping into people's lives, and you're invited into people homes," Cooper reflected. "You're invited into their struggles, you're invited into whatever it is that has brought them to be on 60 Minutes."

As a sign of Cooper's lifelong dream of appearing on the show, the broadcaster visibly held back tears as he delivered his very last "I'm Anderson Cooper," marking his official exit from the series.

In the "overtime" segment at the end of the episode, Cooper recalled some of the more "dangerous" and "dumb" things he's ever done for 60 Minutes, including diving with Nile crocodiles for a notably nail-biting segment on the show.

To further tie into his accomplished tenure, a montage of some of Cooper's biggest celebrity interviews was played, showcasing some of the TV personality's conversations with stars like Prince Harry or Lady Gaga.

Emphasizing the unique importance his role on 60 Minutes was, Cooper explained to viewers that he grew up watching the series from early childhood onward, making it all the more awe-inspiring to think he eventually landed such a prominent role on the series.

"I was a weird little kid. I liked watching news. After my dad died, there was a lot of silence in my house, and we'd watch the news over dinner," Cooper said.

In spite of his personal sense of accomplishment, Cooper rationalized that it was time to step away from the series in order to spend more time with his two young sons.

"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," the 58-year-old said. "And those days, that clock is ticking, I think."

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 9:10 AM.