Anderson Cooper has told people behind the scenes that he has no interest in working with Bari Weiss if she ends up with oversight of after the expected merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The reported stance lands as employees at wait for the deal to go through in the next few weeks, unsure who could be setting the tone at the network.
That uncertainty matters because Bari Weiss already sits at the center of David Ellison’s news plans. He installed her as head of CBS News, even though she has no television news experience, and the move has already drawn public resistance from Scott Pelley over the direction of the network. If Weiss were given some level of oversight at, Cooper would be one of the most visible journalists inside the company confronting that change.
Cooper briefly worked with Weiss at 60 Minutes before leaving in May after 20 years as a correspondent. A spokesperson for him declined to comment, leaving the report of his private objection unchallenged but not officially confirmed. What is clear is that the question inside is not whether the merger is coming soon, but who will be empowered to shape the newsroom if it does.
Ellison has tried to calm those fears in public. In a recent interview with CNBC, he said ’s editorial independence would be maintained after the merger and insisted that independence would “absolutely” be maintained. He also said is an “incredible brand” with an “incredible team,” language meant to signal continuity rather than disruption.
But the line between reassurance and control is exactly where the friction sits. Ellison has reportedly considered pairing Weiss with a more seasoned network veteran, which suggests her role, if it comes, may not look like a simple command of the whole operation. Even so, the report of Cooper’s resistance shows that people inside are reading the arrangement as more than a symbolic hire. They are treating it as a possible shift in authority over what gets said, and who gets to say it, at one of the most closely watched cable news outlets in the country.
The next few weeks should bring the answer. If the merger closes, Ellison will have to decide whether Weiss has any oversight at at all, and if she does, how much. For Cooper and others at the network, that may be the only detail that matters.
