Anderson Cooper Says He Would Not Work Under Bari Weiss at CNN if She Gains Oversight

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has told colleagues he does not want to work for Bari Weiss if she is placed in charge of the network, the New York Post reported. The comments come as Paramount Skydance weighs giving Weiss oversight of both CBS News and CNN following its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

New York Post reported that CNN chief executive Mark Thompson has told Paramount officials he will not share oversight of the network with another executive. Anchor Jake Tapper met recently with Paramount chief executive David Ellison in Los Angeles, though the topics discussed remain unknown. Weiss became editor-in-chief of CBS News last year.

One option under review would pair her with a television executive who would handle operational and financial duties while she retained editorial control of the combined newsrooms, the New York Post reported. Cooper previously declined an offer from Weiss to anchor the CBS Evening News. The position went to Tony Dokoupil.

Cooper also chose not to renew his contract with 60 Minutes, ending a nearly two-decade run as a correspondent. Bill Owens resigned as executive producer of 60 Minutes over concerns about corporate interference in editorial decisions. Weiss later dismissed executive producer Tanya Simon, correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich, producer Guy Campanile and digital operations chief Matthew Polevoy during a restructuring of the program.

Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after confronting Weiss and executive producer Nick Bilton, accusing Weiss of murdering 60 Minutes. Veteran CNN executive Amy Entelis has served as a sounding board for anchors and correspondents worried about the network's direction. Technology journalist Kara Swisher said she would stop working with CNN if Ellison replaced Thompson.