Anderson Cooper’s Shocking Exit Sparks All-Out Civil War at CBS

CBS is in full-blown meltdown mode — and the first major casualty has officially fallen.

Anderson Cooper is OUT at 60 Minutes.

After nearly 20 years as one of the most recognizable faces on the legendary newsmagazine, Cooper is walking away — and insiders say his exit is directly tied to the explosive power shift under controversial new boss Bari Weiss.

This isn’t just a quiet contract dispute. This is newsroom warfare.

Sources say Cooper declined a new deal and informed CBS executives weeks ago that he was done. While he’ll finish out the current season, he won’t be back in the fall. Instead, he’s doubling down on CNN, where he anchors Anderson Cooper 360° and hosts multiple podcasts.

But make no mistake — this departure is sending shockwaves through CBS News.

Weiss, brought in as editor in chief in October, wasted no time shaking the foundation. Known for her sharp critiques of mainstream media and “anti-woke” posture, she reportedly stormed into her first meeting with 60 Minutes staffers and bluntly asked: “Why does the country think you’re biased?”

The room, according to insiders, went ice cold.

“It was basically a revolt,” one source said of the aftermath.

Now Cooper’s exit is being viewed inside the building as the first major sign that the tension is boiling over.

And he may not be alone for long.

Veteran correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Scott Pelley have openly criticized the newsroom’s new direction. Other heavyweights — Lesley Stahl, Cecilia Vega, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim — are said to be furious over what some describe as Weiss’s “outsider arrogance.”

“It’s going to be a war,” one insider warned.

Despite pulling in nearly 9 million viewers a week, 60 Minutes has reportedly been plagued by behind-the-scenes chaos. Staffers fear more exits — or firings — could be coming as Weiss tightens her grip.

One CBS insider didn’t hold back: “Why she’s messing with the only show that consistently rates is beyond me.”

Morale is said to be at rock bottom. Some journalists feel their credibility — even their careers — are hanging by a thread if they don’t embrace the new direction.

The network that once defined broadcast journalism in the era of Walter Cronkite now finds itself in a culture war crossfire — and the internal battle lines are drawn.

Is Anderson Cooper’s departure a strategic career move?

Or is it the first dramatic crack in a newsroom on the verge of implosion?

At CBS, the real story may be far bigger than what’s making it on air.