Anderson Cooper 'Inks New Deal' With CNN Just Months After Network Considered Cutting Loose Pricey Star... As it Continues to Suffer in the Ratings Department

Veteran anchor Anderson Cooper will call CNN home for a little bit longer after striking a new deal with the network, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

According to multiple insiders with knowledge of the deal, Cooper, who has been at CNN since 2001, has inked a new contract with Warner Bros.-Discovery-backed news division as the network plans to expand its digital content.

While many networks are in the midst of major news desk shakeups in an attempt to win back viewers amid dismal ratings – including MSNBC's rebrand to MS NOW, and newly-minted editor-in-chief Bari Weiss' overhaul of CBS News – CNN has broken from the pack with its decision to re-up Cooper's contract.

Despite viewership for CNN's primetime lineup dropping 42 percent during the third quarter, the network is still hitching its wagon to Cooper ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, during which he's expected to continue spearheading coverage.

Cooper has recently started to dabble in CNN projects that take him away from the anchor desk, including his weekend program, The Whole Story, and his emotional podcast exploring themes of grief and loss, All There Is.

News of Cooper reaching a new deal with CNN may come as a shock to many after the anchor switched talent management agencies, a move some took as a sign he was exploring his options amid rumblings the network was going to cut him loose to save on his pricey $18million salary.

In June, Cooper left his longtime agency UTA to join CAA, where he's represented by CEO Bryant Lourd.

"This isn’t about ratings, it’s about reinvention," a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter. "He's done the nightly grind. Now he wants creativity, ownership, and freedom."

Meanwhile, there were also rumors of a bitter feud between Cooper and Jake Tapper, who has worked at CNN since 2013.

As Radar reported, a well-placed source claimed both men have "hated each other for years" after an awkward hot-mic moment seemingly revealed their true feelings for each other.

While reporting on Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August, Cooper handed off the coverage to Tapper, who was on location, but the transition wasn't smooth.

Tapper could be heard snapping at his colleague, "I'm fine. Just give me my show back!" to which Cooper reminded him, "The show's back."

The slip was small enough to be dismissed by viewers, but sources claim it reflected a behind-the-scenes feud.

"They've hated each other for years. Both think they're the smartest man in the room," a separate source told Shuter. "Neither will play second fiddle."

According to the source, Cooper and Tapper fight over "prime interviews, top time slots and bragging rights over each other's mistakes" when the cameras aren't rolling.

The insider claimed: "The smiles are only for the cameras. Off-air? It's ice cold."

In response to the source's claims, a CNN spokesperson dismissed rumors and told Radar: "There is zero truth to this story. CNN experienced repeated technical issues with Jake's audio and communications throughout special coverage."