Stunned Anderson Cooper watched as 60 Minutes boss sobbed through shocking resignation meeting
Anderson Cooper looked on as his 60 Minutes boss cried while resigning amid corporate pressure brought by Donald Trump's recent lawsuit.
The longtime correspondent was among several top-tier staff invited to the Tuesday meeting where Bill Owens made the revelation, according to a report from Status.
Held at one o'clock minutes before The New York Times broke the news, the meeting was an emotional one, Status reported.
The executive producer first faced a panel that included Cooper - tuning in remotely from Rome - CBS News boss Wendy McMahon, and fellow correspondents Lesley Stahl and Scott Pelley.
Then Owens gave his remarks, revealing how after 37 years with the eye network, he would be stepping away from 60 Minutes in coming weeks.
'So an email is going to go out now that says I'm leaving,' he began, holding back tears in a conversation that was recorded and obtained by Status.
'It's clear that I've become the problem. I am the corporation's problem', he continued, in a defiant, self-righteous speech that eventually drew applause.
Stahl later told Variety C-Suiters had been interfering with the show's independence amid CBS's very public legal battle with Trump. Owens, in a conference room at CBS's broadcast center in Manhattan, said more of the same.
Anderson Cooper, a CNN star who also serves as a 60 Minutes correspondent, was among several top-tier staff invited to the Tuesday meeting where the longtime executive producer revealed he was resigning amid corporate pressure brought by Donald Trump's lawsuit
Holding back tears, the longtime executive producer said he’s become 'the corporation’s problem', after continuing to push back against the prospect of settling the lawsuit
'I do think this will be a moment for the corporation to take a hard look at itself and its relationship with us,' Owens told the room, as Cooper tuned in via Zoom.
The respected news anchor is covering the death of Pope Francis for CNN but has a clause in his contract that also lets him contribute to 60 Minutes on rival network CBS.
It is unclear how Cooper reacted to Owen's tears and he has yet to comment on the boss' departure.
'People have asked, should we walk out?' the EP of the prestigious CBS newsmagazine since 2019 continued, suggesting he was facing pressure from the network brass.
'No. The opposite,' Owens continued.
'I really, really, really believe that this will create a moment where the corporation will have to think about the way we operate - the way we’ve always operated - and allow us to operate like that.'
The speech indicated Owens - who is against settling a suit surrounding an October 2024 interview with his then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris the president says was deceptively edited - wasn't leaving by choice.
At points, he opened the floor for questions and comments, spurring Stahl, one of 60 Minutes' most senior correspondents, to talk him up to his face.
'I have had many bosses, many bosses. And very good ones,' Stahl told the 58-year-old EP, who rose through the ranks at CBS after starting there as a summer intern in 1988.
'But I have never been so proud to work for anyone as I have over the last year working for you,' Stahl continued. 'I think you taught us all a lesson of following principle and being courageous and fighting for what you believe in.'
Also at the meeting with Cooper was fellow correspondent Lesley Stahl, who later told Variety C-Suites had been interfering with the show's independence amid CBS's very public legal battle with Trump
Stahl, as Cooper and others looked on silently, couldn't help but add: 'And I know you have taken a hell of a beating.'
Her comments came two days after the billionaire software scion actively trying to acquire CBS's parent Paramount, David Ellison, was seen sitting with Trump at a UFC event in Miami. Hours later, Trump took to Truth Social to slam CBS.
The Skydance deal - which would see the firm acquire Paramount for a price-tag of $8billion - requires federal approval to go through, specially from Brendan Carr's FCC.
Trump's suit has surfaced as an apparent sticking point preventing that from coming to fruition - leading to some interference from those Paramount.
Set on settling the suit for the good of the deal, figures like Paramount heiress Shari Redstone have been met with pushback from both Owens and McMahon, DailyMail.com previously reported.
The pair, the two most powerful figures in CBS's newsroom, have expressed outrage over the deal, and see a settlement as a deviation from 60 Minutes' longheld principles.
Stahl, a journalist who has been with CBS for nearly half a century, referenced this dynamic during Owens' emotional address, asking at a point, 'Is there a commitment from the corporation that they will step back?'
Owens answered, 'The corporation is not talking to me at the moment,' before talking up the woman who enlisted him late last year to help with Evening News, McMahon.
Also present was CBS News boss Wendy McMahon (seen next to Owens here) and veteran correspondent Scott Pelley (far right), as well as several other senior 60 Minutes staffers. Also pictured, 60 Minutes Correspondent Cecilia Vega
'But I can tell you that young lady over there has our back and continues to fight this fight, week by week,' he said of the CEO, who sources recently told Puck will likely be next on the chopping block if the Skydance deal goes through.
Her relationship with her prospective boss, Skydance CEO Jeff Shell, is also said to be deteriorating, sources told Status last month.
Staffers told the newsletter that McMahon has indicated such to them privately, while continuing to refuse the idea of a settlement.
McMahon - a figure who insiders already told DailyMail.com was ill-equipped for the job - spoke at Owens' resignation meeting as well.
She called news of his exit 'incredibly difficult to hear,' and assured others present Owens would remain with the network for an unspecified, albeit short period of time.
She said, 'Bill will be with us in the weeks ahead so there will be time, there will be opportunity, to thank him for his contributions to '60’ to CBS News and to really journalism, writ large.'
McMahon also called Owens' remarks “brilliant and beautiful in its honesty,” and said that she respected his decision.
She further promised 'that the next leadership team of "60 Minutes" will be from within "60 Minutes,"' as many continue to speculate about the program's future.
Her comments came two days after the billionaire software scion actively trying to acquire CBS's parent Paramount, David Ellison, was seen sitting with Trump at a UFC event in Miami. Hours later, Trump took to Truth Social to slam CBS
Set on settling the suit for the good of the deal, figures like Paramount heiress Shari Redstone have been met with pushback from both Owens and McMahon, DailyMail.com previously reported
The applause that followed Owens' speech was 'long and sustained,' Status founder Oliver Darcy noted, as former CNN anchor Jim Acosta also touted the producer.
'Proud of Bill Owens,' he wrote, sharing the Times report that published minutes after the meet.
It ended with one last reminder from Owens, who told Cooper and others: 'Don’t take [60 Minutes] place for granted... let’s just keep going.'
