Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and the anchor of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°, a role he has held since 2001. He is also a correspondent for 60 Minutes, a best-selling author, and a member of the Vanderbilt family through his mother, designer Gloria Vanderbilt. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Cooper has reported from war zones, natural disasters, and political conventions, earning 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards along the way.

In 2016, Cooper became the first openly LGBT person to moderate a U.S. presidential debate, a milestone that underscored his stature in American journalism. He came out as gay in 2012, and has since been described by many outlets as the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television. Beyond the anchor desk, Cooper has hosted a daytime talk show, written multiple books, and launched a podcast about grief, All There Is. As of 2026, he remains a central figure at CNN, anchoring breaking news and political coverage while also contributing to 60 Minutes. [edit]

Anderson Hays Cooper was born on June 3, 1967, in Manhattan, into a family that mixed old money with artistic ambition. His mother was the designer and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, whose own life had been tabloid fodder since childhood; his father was the writer Wyatt Emory Cooper. The household was comfortable but not immune to tragedy. When Cooper was 10, his father died during heart surgery. The loss shaped him in ways he has spoken about openly, and it was compounded in 1988 when his older brother, Carter, died by suicide at 23. Cooper has said those experiences left him with a deep awareness of grief and a drive to understand it.

He attended the Dalton School on the Upper East Side, then enrolled at Yale University, where he graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Rather than slide into a conventional career, Cooper bought a camera and headed overseas. He taught himself to report, shooting footage in war-torn regions and selling it to Channel One News, a classroom news service. That scrappy run gave him a reel and a reputation for fearlessness. In 1995, ABC News hired him as a correspondent, and he spent the next several years co-anchoring and filling in across the network's programs, including a stint hosting the reality show The Mole. By the time CNN came calling in 2001, Cooper had built an unusual résumé: war reporter, network correspondent, and game-show host. [edit]

CNN launched Anderson Cooper 360° in 2001, and Cooper quickly made it a destination for breaking news. His reporting from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became a defining moment, with Cooper visibly emotional on air as he confronted officials about the slow response. The coverage raised his profile sharply and established him as a anchor willing to go where the story was. In 2010, he reported from Haiti after the earthquake, and the Haitian government awarded him the National Order of Honour and Merit for his work.

Between September 2011 and May 2013, Cooper hosted the syndicated daytime talk show Anderson Live, stepping outside the news format. He also spent roughly two decades as a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes, a role he held alongside his CNN duties. In 2012, Cooper came out as gay in an email to Andrew Sullivan, a move that made him one of the most prominent openly gay journalists in the country. Four years later, in 2016, he moderated a presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, becoming the first openly LGBT person to do so. More recently, he launched the grief-focused podcast All There Is and co-wrote the book Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune. As of 2026, he continues to anchor AC360 and contribute to CNN's political coverage. [edit]

On air, Cooper projects a mix of seriousness and empathy. He is known for his crisp delivery, his willingness to press politicians, and his occasional flashes of emotion, as seen during Katrina coverage. Off air, his public persona is more reserved. He rarely discusses his personal life in detail, though he has been candid about grief and fatherhood. His style is understated: dark suits, simple ties, and a clean, classic look that fits the anchor desk. On social media, Cooper's voice is wry and sometimes self-deprecating, a contrast to his formal television presence. Media outlets often describe him as a stabilizing force at CNN, a familiar face in a shifting news landscape. [edit]

Anderson Cooper is one of the most recognizable news anchors in the United States, a fixture on CNN for more than two decades. iFANN has not yet collected fame data for him, so no ranking is available at this time. He does not appear on the September 2026 iFAMOUS Rankings flagship list. His audience is broad and not organized under a formal fandom name; instead, he attracts viewers who tune in for breaking news and political coverage. Fans of Cooper often cite his Katrina reporting and his debate moderation as standout moments. He engages with his audience through social media, where he shares behind-the-scenes glimpses and occasional humor, but he maintains a professional distance typical of a news anchor. [edit]

Cooper was a child model, appearing in fashion shoots as a toddler thanks to his mother's connections in the industry. He is a descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the 19th-century railroad and shipping magnate, though he has said he inherited very little from his mother's estate because much of the family fortune had been spent. Cooper is known for his dry sense of humor and has made several cameo appearances in scripted television and film, including a memorable turn on 30 Rock. He is also an avid surfer and has spoken about the meditative quality of being in the water. A story fans still retell: during Hurricane Katrina coverage, Cooper confronted Senator Mary Landrieu and later asked officials point-blank why they were thanking each other when people were dying, a moment that came to define his reputation for bluntness. [edit]

Cooper's family story is steeped in American history. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, was a designer, author, and heiress whose custody trial as a child made national headlines. His father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, was a screenwriter and author who died when Anderson was 10. His older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide in 1988 at age 23, a loss Cooper has discussed in interviews and in his podcast on grief. Cooper has two sons, Wyatt (born 2020) and Sebastian (born 2022), whom he co-parents with his former partner Benjamin Maisani. He has said fatherhood changed his perspective on life and work. The family lives in New York City, and Cooper has spoken about the importance of keeping his sons grounded despite their privileged background. [edit]

Gloria Vanderbilt, Benjamin Maisani, Andy Cohen, CNN, 60 Minutes, ABC News. [edit]

Anderson Cooper's romantic life has been relatively private compared with his public career. His most documented relationship is with Benjamin Maisani, a nightclub owner and former partner. The two were together for roughly a decade, and though they separated publicly in 2018, they have remained close co-parents to their two sons, Wyatt and Sebastian. Cooper has not publicly discussed other serious relationships in detail. In 2012, he came out as gay, and since then he has been open about his family life without turning it into a spectacle. As of 2026, Cooper is reportedly single, focused on fatherhood and his work at CNN. [edit]

iFANN currently estimates Anderson Cooper's net worth at approximately $60 million. The bulk of that fortune comes from his long tenure at CNN, where he is one of the network's highest-paid anchors. His salary has been reported in the range of $12 million to $15 million a year, and he has supplemented that income with a lucrative book deal, speaking engagements, and a syndicated daytime talk show that ran for two seasons. Cooper has also earned from his role as a correspondent for 60 Minutes and from various production deals. Real estate has played a part as well: he has owned properties in New York City and elsewhere, though he has spoken about not inheriting a significant sum from his mother's estate. His current earnings continue to flow from his CNN contract and his podcast and book projects. The figure above reflects iFANN's own editorial research into his earnings, ventures, and assets as of 2026. [edit]

Anderson Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, along with a 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club and multiple GLAAD Media Awards. In 2010, Haiti awarded him the National Order of Honour and Merit for his earthquake coverage. [edit]