CNN star Anderson Cooper has reportedly made his thoughts clear about working with CBS News chief Bari Weiss ahead of a corporate merger that would put the two media outlets under the same owner.
Paramount, which owns CBS, is about to acquire CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, in a massive $111 billion consolidation.
The merger would put David Ellison, the tech heir and Trump ally who controls Paramount, in charge of both the legacy broadcaster and the 24-hour cable network.
Ellison has not publicly revealed any specific editorial plans for CNN, but employees have reportedly expressed concerns about what his leadership would look like under Weiss, whose tenure at CBS News has proven controversial.
He New York Times reports that CNN's top star, Cooper, has told colleagues that he does not want to work for Weiss after leaving CBS News, according to two of his sources. the independent has contacted a spokesperson for Cooper.
The presenter met Weiss when he was working as a correspondent for the star CBS program 60 minutesbut left the show this spring after 20 years.
Weiss was named CBS' first editor-in-chief in October 2025 following Paramount's acquisition of its parent company.
Since Weiss took over, top producers have resigned for ideological reasons, accusing Weiss of dragging CBS News' editorial stance to the right.
Scott Pelley, long-time anchor at CBS News 60 minutes who was abruptly fired last month after 37 years at the network, reportedly criticized Weiss in a meeting, saying she was “murdering” the show, according to reports.
In an interview with The New York Times podcast The interviewPelley compared leaving the show to “liking your spouse murdered.”
“There are some times of the day when I feel good. There are some times of the day when, frankly, I break down, when I least expect it,” he said.
Other correspondents who were fired accused Weiss of editorial interference, which she denied.
Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery will put Ellison's company in control of CNN and HBO, among other entities.
Ellison's relationship with US President Donald Trump has raised alarm bells at CNN, according to interviews with correspondents and network employees.
In April, Ellison hosted a dinner in Washington in the president's honor at a time when the Trump administration was deciding whether to oppose Ellison's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
He also attended Trump's UFC show at the White House earlier this month, on the president's 80th birthday.
Last year, Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle the president's lawsuit over the editing of a 60 minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The funds did not go directly to the president, but rather went towards his legal fees and his future presidential library.
The controversial agreement was called an act of “bribery” by certain politicians, including Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Ellison recently insisted in an interview with CNBC that CNN's “editorial independence will absolutely be maintained” and has said he wants his news networks to appeal to the middle “70 percent” of Americans.
“CNN is an incredible brand with an incredible team, and we absolutely believe in the independence that those incredible journalists should maintain, and we want to support that going forward,” Ellison said. “Editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It will be maintained at CBS, it will be maintained at CNN.”
