In his farewell interview, Anderson Cooper looked back on 20 years with 60 Minutes—describing the awe of joining a show he idolized as a child, the trust he earned from interview subjects, and the final moment of saying, “I’m Anderson Cooper.”
For more than 20 years. Anderson Cooper has traveled the world with 60 Minutes. chasing stories that. as he put it. revealed the humanity behind the headlines.. In his farewell interview. he returned to the feeling that started it all: joining the program he idolized as a child and then walking the same halls as the legends who came before him.
Cooper recalled being surrounded by the names that helped define the show. including Mike Wallace. Morley Safer. Ed Bradley. and Bob Simon.. He described the privilege of earning people’s trust. and he pointed to the moments in interviews when that trust felt so complete that the cameras seemed to fade away.
Now, as he delivers his final “I’m Anderson Cooper,” Cooper’s goodbye lands as more than a closing segment. He leaves behind an extensive body of work—along with a tribute to storytelling, independence, and trust that he says have shaped 60 Minutes for generations.
What stands out across Cooper’s farewell is the sequence of feeling and practice he linked together: childhood awe at joining the show. walking its halls with Wallace. Safer. Bradley. and Simon. then the steady effort of earning trust—until he reaches interviews where the cameras no longer feel central. ending with his last “I’m Anderson Cooper.”
The farewell video and photos include material credited to Goldberg-Polin Family, Yad Vashem, Dana Keller, and Getty Images.. Producers listed for the segment are Brit McCandless Farmer and Andy Court. with associate producers Rebecca Chertok Gonsalve and Jane Greeley. and editing credited to Scott Rosann and Warren Lustig.
Anderson Cooper 60 Minutes farewell interview Mike Wallace Morley Safer Ed Bradley Bob Simon journalism