Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper
Born	Anderson Hays Cooper 3 6, 1967
Birthplace	New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Broadcast journalist, television anchor, author
Known for	Anderson Cooper 360°, 60 Minutes
Education	Yale University (B.A., 1989)
Children	2
Awards	18 Emmy Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, Edward Murrow Award
Website	[[andersoncooper.com andersoncooper.com] Official site]

Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist, television anchor, and political commentator who has served as the host of the CNN news program Anderson Cooper 360° since 2003. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, Cooper carved a path in journalism not through privilege but through determination, beginning his career by self-producing stories from war zones around the world before rising to become one of the most recognized news anchors in the United States. Over the course of more than three decades in broadcast journalism, he has earned 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, and he served for two decades as a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS News. His on-the-ground coverage of major events — including Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake — established his reputation for immersive, emotionally direct reporting. In 2012, Cooper came out publicly as gay, and in 2016 he became the first openly LGBT person to moderate a United States presidential debate. In February 2026, Cooper departed 60 Minutes after reports of editorial disputes, drawing renewed attention to his career and the state of American broadcast journalism.

Early Life

Anderson Hays Cooper was born on June 3, 1967, in New York City to writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and heiress and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt. Through his mother, Cooper is a descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the 19th-century railroad and shipping magnate who was one of the wealthiest Americans of his era. His father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, was an author and screenwriter from Mississippi.

Cooper grew up in Manhattan and was immersed in a world of cultural and social prominence from a young age. He was modeled as a child, appearing on the cover of Harper's Bazaar at the age of three, and his family's life drew frequent media attention. However, his childhood was marked by personal tragedy. His father, Wyatt Cooper, died on January 5, 1978, during open-heart surgery, when Anderson was ten years old. The loss had a profound effect on the young Cooper. Further tragedy struck the family on July 22, 1988, when Cooper's older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide at the age of 23, jumping from the 14th-floor terrace of Gloria Vanderbilt's penthouse apartment in New York City. Anderson, who was 21 at the time, witnessed the event alongside his mother.

These formative experiences — the deaths of his father and brother — have been cited by Cooper and by journalists who have profiled him as shaping his interest in reporting from conflict zones and disaster areas. Cooper has spoken publicly about how loss drove him toward journalism and toward a desire to understand suffering in the wider world.

Despite his family's wealth and social standing, Cooper has stated that he did not receive a trust fund and that his mother did not plan to leave him an inheritance, a decision he supported as conducive to self-reliance.

Education

Cooper attended the Dalton School, a private preparatory school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He subsequently enrolled at Yale University, where he studied political science. During his time at Yale, Cooper spent two summers interning at the Central Intelligence Agency, an experience he has described as formative though he has emphasized he did not pursue a career in intelligence.

Cooper graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. After graduation, rather than following a conventional path into journalism or the career paths typical of Ivy League graduates of his background, Cooper chose an unconventional route, seeking out conflict zones and teaching himself the craft of on-the-ground reporting.

Career

Early Journalism and Channel One News

After graduating from Yale in 1989, Cooper struggled to break into broadcast journalism through traditional channels. Unable to secure an entry-level position at a network, he obtained a forged press pass and began traveling on his own to war-torn regions of the world, including Myanmar, Vietnam, and parts of Africa. He shot footage himself using a handheld camera and sold his reports to Channel One News, a television news program distributed to American schools.

Cooper's self-made approach to foreign reporting took him into dangerous environments during a period of significant global upheaval in the early 1990s. He reported from conflict zones in Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda, gaining experience that few journalists his age possessed. This early work established the pattern that would define much of his career: a willingness to report from the scene of events rather than from behind a studio desk.

ABC News (1995–2001)

In 1995, Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent. His work at ABC covered a range of assignments, and he quickly demonstrated versatility across different formats within the network. He served for a time as a co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, an overnight news program, and also worked as a fill-in co-host on ABC's morning programming.

During this period, Cooper also briefly hosted The Mole, an ABC reality competition game show, in 2000 and 2001. This unusual detour into entertainment television was an anomaly in Cooper's otherwise news-focused career. He has since spoken about the experience as a departure that ultimately reinforced his commitment to journalism.

CNN and Anderson Cooper 360°

In 2001, Cooper joined CNN. He initially served as a substitute anchor on the network's various programs before being given his own show. In 2003, CNN launched Anderson Cooper 360°, a nightly news program anchored by Cooper and typically broadcast from the network's studios in New York. The program became the centerpiece of CNN's primetime lineup and Cooper's primary professional role for over two decades.

Cooper's approach to anchoring 360° differed from many of his contemporaries in that he frequently left the studio to report from locations where major news was unfolding. This practice became central to his public image and professional identity. He reported live from scenes of natural disasters, armed conflicts, political crises, and other breaking news events around the world.

Hurricane Katrina Coverage

Cooper's coverage of Hurricane Katrina in August and September 2005 marked a turning point in his career. Reporting live from the devastated Gulf Coast — particularly from New Orleans and Mississippi — Cooper displayed visible emotion on camera, at one point confronting U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu during a live broadcast when she praised government officials while bodies remained unrecovered in the streets behind them.

The Katrina coverage drew significant public attention to Cooper and increased his profile considerably. His willingness to express frustration and grief on camera distinguished him from the more detached style of reporting that had been standard among network anchors. The response from viewers was substantial, and Cooper's ratings and public recognition increased sharply in the aftermath of the hurricane.

2010 Haiti Earthquake

Cooper reported extensively from Haiti following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, which killed an estimated 200,000 people and left much of the country's infrastructure in ruins. Cooper was among the first international journalists to arrive on the scene and provided sustained coverage from Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas in the days and weeks following the disaster.

In recognition of his reporting from Haiti, Cooper was awarded the National Order of Honour and Merit by the Haitian government, the highest honor that nation grants. The award recognized his role in drawing international attention to the scale of the disaster and the humanitarian crisis that followed.

Other Major Coverage

Throughout his tenure at CNN, Cooper reported from numerous other major events. These included the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, multiple U.S. presidential elections, and various international conflicts. His reporting frequently placed him in situations of personal risk, and he sustained injuries on at least one occasion while covering events in Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011.

60 Minutes (2006–2026)

In addition to his work at CNN, Cooper served as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, the long-running CBS News newsmagazine program, for approximately two decades. He contributed segments on a wide range of topics, from international affairs and conflict reporting to profiles of notable individuals.

In February 2026, Cooper departed 60 Minutes under circumstances that drew significant media attention. Reports indicated that a segment produced by Cooper focusing on the claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that white farmers in South Africa were victims of "genocide" had been delayed from airing. The segment, which examined the situation of refugees from South Africa and the factual basis for claims of widespread violence against white farmers, was reportedly shelved amid editorial changes at CBS under its new leadership.

Cooper left 60 Minutes before the segment aired, and it was subsequently broadcast on February 22, 2026. According to Variety, Cooper "turned down an opportunity to keep working there," suggesting his departure was voluntary. The Financial Times described the departure as the end of an era for Cooper's association with the program, noting that he had "built a career on restraint" and observing that his hair "started turning silver at just age 20."

A public relations expert quoted by Hello! Magazine described the circumstances of Cooper's exit as a "controlled demolition," suggesting it reflected broader changes in editorial direction at CBS under its new editor-in-chief appointment.

Anderson Live (2011–2013)

From September 2011 to May 2013, Cooper hosted a syndicated daytime television talk show. Originally titled Anderson and later renamed Anderson Live when it shifted to a live format with a co-host in its second season, the program aired alongside Cooper's continuing duties at CNN.

The talk show was announced in September 2010 and premiered a year later. It was produced in partnership with CNN and aired in syndication across the United States. The program covered a mix of human interest stories, celebrity interviews, and topical discussions. After two seasons, Anderson Live was canceled due to declining ratings, and it aired its final episode in May 2013.

Writing Career

Cooper is also an author. He wrote Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival, published in 2006, in which he reflected on his experiences reporting from conflict zones and natural disasters, as well as the personal losses that shaped his worldview. The book appeared on the Oprah's Book Club list.

He co-authored a book with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, titled The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss, published in 2016. The book was based on a series of personal exchanges between Cooper and Vanderbilt about their family's history, their relationship, and the losses they had endured.

Personal Life

Cooper came out publicly as gay on July 2, 2012, in an email to journalist Andrew Sullivan, which Sullivan published with Cooper's permission. In the email, Cooper wrote: "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud." The announcement made Cooper one of the most prominent openly gay journalists on American television.

Cooper has two children. He announced the birth of his first son in April 2020 and a second son in February 2022.

Cooper maintained a close personal friendship with television host Andy Cohen, with whom he co-hosted CNN's annual New Year's Eve broadcast for several years. In 2026, reports indicated that Cohen was planning to host a solo New Year's Eve program, suggesting a shift in the pairing that had become a popular annual tradition.

Gloria Vanderbilt, Cooper's mother, died on June 17, 2019, at the age of 95. Cooper announced her death on CNN and delivered an emotional tribute to her on air.

Recognition

Cooper has received numerous awards and honors over the course of his journalism career. He has won 18 Emmy Awards across various categories, recognizing his work in news and documentary journalism.

He has been awarded two Peabody Awards, which recognize excellence in electronic media storytelling. One of these was awarded for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In 2011, Cooper received the Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club for his work in international journalism.

Cooper received the National Order of Honour and Merit from the Haitian government for his extensive reporting following the 2010 earthquake, the highest honor granted by Haiti.

He has also won a National Headliner Award for his broadcast journalism work.

Cooper has received multiple GLAAD Media Awards for his visibility and impact as an openly gay public figure in American media.

In 2016, Cooper became the first openly LGBT person to moderate a United States presidential debate, a milestone noted by media organizations and advocacy groups.

Legacy

Anderson Cooper's career has spanned more than three decades and coincided with a period of significant transformation in American broadcast journalism. His rise to prominence occurred during the transition from traditional network news dominance to the 24-hour cable news era, and his work at CNN helped define the network's approach to breaking news coverage in the 2000s and 2010s.

Cooper's style of reporting — characterized by on-location coverage, visible emotional engagement, and direct questioning of public officials — influenced the expectations that audiences and media critics held for television news anchors. His Hurricane Katrina coverage, in particular, is frequently cited by media scholars and journalists as a moment that shifted the norms of how anchors could engage with the stories they reported, moving away from strict emotional detachment toward a more openly empathetic approach.

His public coming out in 2012 was a significant moment in the representation of LGBT individuals in American media. As the anchor of a major primetime news program, Cooper's visibility contributed to the broader normalization of openly gay professionals in high-profile media roles. His subsequent role as the first openly LGBT presidential debate moderator in 2016 further underscored this impact.

Cooper's departure from 60 Minutes in February 2026 occurred amid broader debates about editorial independence at major American news organizations and the relationship between media ownership and journalistic content. The episode drew attention to tensions within CBS News and the broader media industry regarding coverage of politically sensitive topics. Variety noted that Cooper's exit, along with developments involving other prominent CBS personalities, drew scrutiny to Paramount at a time when the company's ownership was in flux.

Throughout his career, Cooper's background as a member of the Vanderbilt family has been a frequent subject of public interest, though he has consistently sought to define his professional identity through his journalism rather than his family heritage. His career trajectory — from self-produced war zone reports sold to Channel One to the anchor desk at CNN — has been cited as an example of the unconventional paths available in modern broadcast journalism.