Anderson Cooper Reportedly Opposes Working with Bari Weiss at CNN Amid Paramount-Skydance Merger Speculation

Anderson Cooper has privately conveyed to colleagues at CNN that he would not want to work alongside Bari Weiss, should the anticipated Paramount-Skydance deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery come to fruition, according to reporting from The New York Times. Cooper's representative declined to comment on the matter.

The 59-year-old news anchor recently stepped down from his role at CBS's 60 Minutes after nearly two decades balancing positions at both the news magazine and CNN. Weiss currently serves as editorial chief at CBS.

Under one scenario being mulled by leadership, Weiss could be paired with a more seasoned television executive capable of managing the network's operational and financial responsibilities, according to The Times. However, CNN's current Chief Executive Mark Thompson has indicated he is not open to sharing his duties.

In a statement released to the Associated Press in February, Cooper outlined his reasoning for departing 60 Minutes. "Being a correspondent at '60 Minutes' has been one of the great honors of my career," he said. "I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors and camera crew in the business. For nearly 20 years, I've been able to balance my jobs and CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me."