CNN star Anderson Cooper told colleagues he doesnt want to work for Bari Weiss: report

CNN star Anderson Cooper has privately told colleagues he does not want to work for CBS News boss Bari Weiss if she is ultimately put in charge of the cable network following Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros.Discovery, according to a report.Cooper has made his feelings known internally as Paramount chief executive David Ellison weighs whether to give Weiss oversight of both CBS News and CNN once the roughly $111 billion merger closes, the New York Times reported.Cooper’s reported opposition comes as other top CNN figures are also signaling resistance to a potential Weiss-led future.According to the Times, CNN chief executive Mark Thompson has told Paramount officials he will not share oversight of the network with another executive, while longtime anchor Jake Tapper recently met with Ellison in Los Angeles.The Times said it was not known what the two men discussed.The report says Ellison remains supportive of Weiss despite months of upheaval at CBS News, where she has overseen a sweeping overhaul of the news division since taking over as editor-in-chief last year.One option under consideration would pair Weiss with a seasoned television executive responsible for the operational and financial side of the combined news organizations while she retained editorial oversight, according to the Times.Cooper’s reported comments come after his own complicated history with Weiss at CBS News.Earlier this year, Weiss approached Cooper about succeeding Norah O’Donnell as anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” according to previous reports.

Cooper declined the offer, and the job ultimately went to Tony Dokoupil.Not long afterward, Cooper also chose not to renew his contract with “60 Minutes,” ending a nearly two-decade run as a correspondent for the iconic newsmagazine while remaining at CNN.Publicly, Cooper said he wanted to devote more time to his family and his work at CNN.But multiple reports indicated he was also uncomfortable with the dire...