CBS News said Thursday it was not considering podcaster Joe Rogan to replace Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes,” squashing an eye-popping rumor that gained force when the Austin American-Statesman ran with it this week. The reputable Texas newspaper published a story with the accompanying detail on X, “Austin-based podcaster Joe Rogan reportedly being considered for 60 Minutes role.” The original story leaned heavily on an anonymously sourced March report by RadarOnline quoting an “industry insider” who said: “This isn’t stunt casting. It’s strategy. Rogan opens
a direct pipeline to the massive MAGA audience CBS has struggled to reach for years.” But the Statesman appeared to amend its story when CBS said in a statement that the speculation was “false.” Other outlets such as Forbes and The Wrap also ran stories quashing the scuttlebutt. The newspaper also followed on Thursday with a tweet noting the network’s denial and the update to the story. Rogan, perhaps the unofficial king of the so-called manosphere, reportedly averages an audience of 11 million per new
episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” He is credited with helping President Donald Trump capture the bro vote in the 2024 election and has courted controversy by platforming conspiracy theories. Rogan did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment. Cooper said goodbye as a correspondent on “60 Minutes” in May amid the network’s apparent overhaul to lean it more to the right. His plea for the show to maintain its independence on a “60 Minutes Overtime” segment reportedly angered CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari
Weiss. This week, correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after he criticized Weiss and new “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton in a staff meeting.
CBS News, 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper, Joe Rogan, Austin American-Statesman, Bari Weiss, Scott Pelley, Nick Bilton, rumor denial
Why would they even think about that lol CBS is tripping.
I saw the headline and immediately assumed it was true. Like when Twitter/X starts sharing it, it’s usually legit right? Guess not 🙄
So CBS denies it but somehow everyone already knew? Sounds like PR damage control. Also “60 Minutes” already feels different, so maybe Rogan replacing Cooper was just the next step. Idk who even watches 60 Minutes Overtime anyway.
The Austin paper wrote it, then CBS says false… but that just means they didn’t “consider” him yet. Like they might still be looking at him behind the scenes. And Bari Weiss getting mad at independence sounds like classic CBS drama to me. Scott Pelley fired for criticizing her? Totally believable, honestly.