Anderson Cooper Opposes Working Under Bari Weiss Amid Paramount‑CNN Merger

Anderson Cooper, CNN's top anchor, has told colleagues he does not want to work for CBS News editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss if the planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount brings the two outlets under common ownership. The $111 billion merger would place billionaire tech heir David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance in control of both CBS and CNN.

Cooper, who previously worked with Weiss at 60 Minutes, expressed his reluctance in private conversations, according to sources cited by The New York Times. Employees at CNN have raised concerns that Weiss could influence editorial direction, echoing earlier staff departures at CBS. Ellison has publicly pledged that editorial independence will be maintained at CNN, as he did for CBS.

The merger, if approved, would also give Paramount control of HBO and other Warner Bros. Discovery assets, reshaping the U.S. media landscape and prompting political scrutiny over Ellison’s ties to former President Donald Trump.