Anderson Cooper's CBS Exit is 'Tip of the Iceberg' at Troubled Network After Bari Weiss' Takeover — 'It's a Matter of Time Before Rest of the Journalists Follow Suit'

Anderson Cooper could soon be joined by other colleagues in the CBS unemployment line, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal, as there is already word that at least one other 60 Minutes correspondent is on the way out.

Staffers at the Tiffany network have been openly rebelling against new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, and her "anti-woke" approach to the newsroom.

After nearly 20 years with the venerable news magazine, Cooper has turned down a new contract with CBS and will depart the show at the end of the current season.

And industry insiders tell Radar he's only the first to go.

A source told us: "Anderson is just the tip of the iceberg – the unrest and disillusionment are widespread inside CBS, and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the star journalists follow suit.

"The anger is at a fever pitch, and CBS News has become a shell of itself. Fear at every turn with a boss that doesn’t seem to care. How sad."

Coincidentally, correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi's contract expires in just a few months. She famously expressed her outrage after Weiss issued a last-minute decision to shelve a controversial report critical of some Trump administration policies.

The segment featured Alfonsi sharing harrowing stories from Venezuelan deportees who were sent to El Salvador's maximum-security prison after being deported by the Trump administration.

Alfonsi later took her frustration out on Weiss' deputy, Adam Rubenstein, yelling at him, "You don't get to produce me!"

She then accused him of being "a mouthpiece" for the Trump administration and asked if he had ever produced a minute of television news before.

As for Anderson, he said in a statement he was leaving purely for personal reasons: "For nearly twenty years, I've been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS," he said. "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."

For their part, CBS issued a statement of its own, expressing: We're grateful to (Cooper) for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family. 60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return."

However, Radar has learned that might not necessarily be the whole story. According to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack, Weiss has taken an aggressively hands-on role since assuming her role in October, and Cooper’s work environment has become increasingly untenable.

"Bari made it clear she wanted a different tone," one insider told Shuter. "Every script was scrutinized. Every edit questioned. It stopped feeling like trust and started feeling like a test."

Another source was more direct: "(Anderson) didn’t quit. He was pushed. When management makes it that uncomfortable, walking away is the only option left."

Cooper has been part of 60 Minutes since 2006, but insiders shared his calm, measured delivery style doesn't align with Weiss' vision for investigative bulldogs.

"CBS isn’t looking for gentlemen anymore. They want someone who commands the room, projects dominance," another source told Shuter. "Anderson? He’s calm, thoughtful, precise. That doesn’t cut it under the new regime."

"(They) want alpha. Anderson’s a talented gentleman. That’s no longer enough."