Anderson Cooper bids '60 Minutes' a final goodbye

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Anderson Cooper has signed off from “60 Minutes” for the last time.After two decades as a correspondent on the CBS’ news magazine, he officially ended his run Sunday night.Cooper, who also hosts a news program on CNN, announced in February his plans to leave CBS, months after an internal shake-up that followed the arrival of editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.“Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains,” Anderson said on-air.

“I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical.”Throughout the farewell segment, the 58-year-old journalist, who was hired in 2007, reminisced about some career highlights, like speaking with Holocaust survivors and people battling malnutrition in Niger, as well as interviewing A-listers like Lady Gaga and Prince Harry.He also said he hopes the show continues to be a reliable source of investigative journalism.

Hollywood Inc.Job cuts and pressure to placate Trump loom over major changes in store for two TV news organizations that will be combined under Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros.

Discovery.“I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes.’ When you see a ’60 Minutes’ story, and you’re like, ‘That was a really good story.’ It was a good story because it requires time, it requires patience, it requires money,” he said.“I hope that’s known and honored and valued and continues.”His departure comes at an uncharted time for CBS, as the company undergoes several leadership changes.

Last year, billionaire David Ellison successfully merged his company, Skydance Media, with Paramount, CBS’s parent company.Soon after, Ellison hired Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief.

Two months after taking on the new role, Weiss made the widely panned decision...