EXCLUSIVE: CBS Looking to Pin Down Joe Rogan — Network Bosses Are Betting Podcast Powerhouse Will Strengthen Sagging '60 Minutes'
CBS eyes Joe Rogan as a potential boost to '60 Minutes' as the network battles sagging ratings.
March 11 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Reeling CBS News is looking to muscle up its 60 Minutes team by replacing silver fox Anderson Cooper with pumped-up conservative podcast powerhouse Joe Rogan, sources said.
The blockbuster move, first reported in RadarOnline.com, is setting off panic and power plays up and down network corridors.
Rogan Seen as Ratings Savior
Joe Rogan's podcast reportedly draws about 11million daily listeners as CBS considers him for a role on '60 Minutes.'
"This isn't stunt casting," a television industry insider said. "It's strategy. Rogan opens a direct pipeline to the massive MAGA audience CBS has struggled to reach for years."
Rogan, 58, reportedly boasts a staggering 11 million listeners a day and his show, The Joe Rogan Experience, recently expanded its reach by adding the podcast to Apple and other platforms.
That could translate into ratings gold, sources said.
"You bring in Rogan and you immediately gain a core connection to over 50 percent of the country," a media executive claimed. "He speaks to viewers who feel ignored or mocked by legacy media. That could solve the ratings and credibility problems of CBS overnight."
But not everyone is cheering.
Rogan Hire Called Risky Gamble
A veteran producer warned Rogan's unscripted style could either energize or disrupt '60 Minutes' if he replaces Anderson Cooper.
A veteran producer warns, "It's a gamble. Rogan isn't traditional broadcast talent – he's raw, unscripted, and polarizing. That could either electrify 60 Minutes or blow it up."
As RadarOnline.com readers know, an earthquake has already struck 60 Minutes – with Cooper, 58, announcing he was stepping away from the news magazine after 20 years to spend more time with his two young sons.
Still, according to insiders, slipping Rogan into Cooper's spot could offer a huge upside.
Rogan's podcast commands one of the largest audiences in the world. If even a fraction of those listeners followed him to CBS, the network could see a seismic boost.
Rogan Could Gain Mainstream Credibility
A branding expert said a potential role on '60 Minutes' could give Rogan mainstream legitimacy beyond 'The Joe Rogan Experience.'
For Rogan himself, the move would be transformative.
"This gives him mainstream legitimacy in a way podcasting alone never could," a branding expert told RadarOnline.com. "It's a whole new platform – primetime, institutional credibility, historic prestige. It elevates his brand from disruptor to establishment power player."
Another source added: "Rogan doesn't need 60 Minutes. But 60 Minutes might need Rogan."
CBS Divided Over Rogan Idea
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Debate reportedly erupted inside CBS as executives weighed Rogan as a possible replacement for Cooper on '60 Minutes.'
The possibility has already ignited fierce debate inside CBS, where traditionalists fear the show's polished, buttoned-up image could clash with Rogan's freewheeling style.
One insider summed up the mood, saying: "It would be the biggest reinvention in the show's history. The question is – are they brave enough to do it?"
