Anderson Cooper
Born 1967 · Age 58
American broadcast journalist and political commentator; anchor of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°, longtime 60 Minutes correspondent, bestselling author and podcast host.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New York City
Anderson Hays Cooper born to Wyatt Emory Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt in Manhattan.
Photographed by Diane Arbus as a baby
As an infant Cooper was photographed by Diane Arbus for Harper's Bazaar.
Appeared on The Tonight Show (child appearance)
At age three Cooper appeared with his mother on The Tonight Show.
Father Wyatt Cooper died
Cooper's father Wyatt Emory Cooper died during open-heart surgery.
Graduated Dalton School early
Graduated from the Dalton School a semester early at age 17.
Traveled through Africa; contracted malaria
After leaving Dalton, Cooper spent several months traveling in Africa and was hospitalized in Kenya with malaria.
CIA summer internships (two summers during college)
Completed two summer internships at the Central Intelligence Agency while at Yale.
Death of older brother Carter Vanderbilt Cooper
Brother Carter died by suicide; the event profoundly influenced Cooper's decision to pursue journalism.
Graduated Yale University (B.A., Political Science)
Graduated Yale; coxswain on lightweight rowing team; member of Manuscript Society.
Joined Channel One News as fact-checker/chief international correspondent
After Yale, Cooper began working at Channel One News, later producing his own overseas reports and becoming chief international correspondent.
Entered Myanmar with forged press pass and reported
Gained access to Burmese student activists with a forged press pass and sold the segments to Channel One.
Lived in Vietnam to study Vietnamese
Spent approximately a year in Hanoi studying Vietnamese and producing reports for Channel One.
Reported from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda
Filed Channel One segments from multiple conflict zones, establishing reputation as an on-the-ground reporter.
Won Bronze Telly for Somalia coverage
Received a Bronze Telly Award for coverage of famine in Somalia.
Hired by ABC News as correspondent
Joined ABC News as a network correspondent after Channel One work.
Emmy Award for contribution to Princess Diana funeral coverage
Won an Emmy for contribution to ABC's coverage of Princess Diana's funeral.
Became co-anchor of World News Now
Elevated to co-anchor of ABC's overnight program World News Now on September 21, 1999.
Left news to host reality series The Mole
Took a break from news to host ABC's reality show The Mole (job began around 2000; hosted through early 2000s).
Joined CNN after 9/11
Returned to news and joined CNN in 2001; initially anchored with Paula Zahn on American Morning.
Named CNN weekend prime-time anchor; began hosting New Year's Eve
Became CNN weekend prime-time anchor and began hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage (New Year's Eve specials continued subsequently).
Launched Anderson Cooper 360° (AC360)
On September 8, 2003 Cooper became anchor of his own primetime program Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN.
Covered 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Reported on tsunami damage and CNN's coverage later won duPont–Columbia recognition.
Coverage of Hurricane Katrina elevated profile
On-the-ground reporting of Hurricane Katrina (Aug–Sep 2005) raised Cooper's national profile dramatically.
CNN programming shakeup; AC360 expanded and moved to 10pm
On Nov 2, 2005 AC360 was expanded to two hours and moved into NewsNight's old 10:00 pm ET slot; Aaron Brown left CNN.
Published Dispatches from the Edge (memoir)
Published Dispatches from the Edge (HarperCollins), a memoir about reporting in war zones; book topped NYT bestseller list June 18, 2006.
Started hosting CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute
Began hosting CNN Heroes, an annual show honoring extraordinary deeds by ordinary people.
Signed multi-year deal with CNN; salary reportedly doubled
Early 2007 Cooper signed a multi-year contract with CNN, reportedly doubling salary from $2M to $4M and allowing contributions to 60 Minutes.
Became 60 Minutes correspondent
Began a concurrent role as a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes while remaining at CNN.
Planet in Peril documentary premiered
Co-hosted Planet in Peril with Sanjay Gupta and Jeff Corwin on CNN (Oct 2007).
Planet in Peril: Battle Lines sequel premiered
Sequel to Planet in Peril aired in December 2008 featuring Cooper, Gupta and Lisa Ling.
Coverage of 2010 Haiti earthquake; Haitian honor
For reporting on the 2010 Haiti earthquake Cooper received Haiti's National Order of Honour and Merit.
Syndicated talk show deal announced
Warner Bros. and Telepictures announced Cooper would host a nationally syndicated daytime talk show (later Anderson/Anderson Live).
Edward R. Murrow Award (Overseas Press Club)
Received an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club in 2011 for overseas reporting.
Premiered Anderson (Anderson Live)
Anderson Live premiered on September 12, 2011; Cooper stayed under multiyear CNN contract simultaneously.
Peabody Award for Arab Spring coverage
Part of CNN's award-winning reporting on the Arab Spring that received a Peabody in 2012.
Publicly came out as gay
Gave permission to have an email published stating 'The fact is, I'm gay...' and discussed the decision publicly.
Anderson Live concluded
Syndicated daytime talk show Anderson Live ended after its second season; final episode aired May 30, 2013.
Advised Tim Cook before Cook publicly came out
Apple CEO Tim Cook sought Cooper's advice before his own public coming out in 2014.
Purchased Rye House estate with Benjamin Maisani
Cooper and partner Benjamin Maisani purchased Rye House, a historic Connecticut estate.
Announced AC2 stage tour with Andy Cohen
Cooper and Andy Cohen announced a conversational stage show, AC2, beginning a national tour in March 2015.
Published The Rainbow Comes and Goes (with Gloria Vanderbilt)
Co-authored The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss with his mother; became a bestseller.
Co-moderated 2016 presidential debate (historic LGBT first)
Alongside Martha Raddatz, Cooper co-moderated a presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the first LGBT person to moderate a general election presidential debate.
Andy Cohen joined as New Year's Eve co-host
Friend Andy Cohen joined Cooper replacing Kathy Griffin as CNN New Year's Eve co-host in 2017; pair co-hosted subsequent years.
AC2 tour reached 50+ cities (as of Oct 2018)
AC2 conversational tour with Andy Cohen had visited more than fifty cities by October 2018.
Anthony Bourdain died; Cooper produced tribute
Bourdain's death by suicide prompted Cooper to pay tribute on CNN and host a special 'Remembering Anthony Bourdain.'
Published Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty (research and writing ongoing earlier)
Worked on and later published a history of the Vanderbilt family (book published 2021); this marks Cooper's continuing authorship on family history.
Birth of son Wyatt Morgan Cooper via surrogate
Cooper announced on April 30 that son Wyatt Morgan Cooper was born on April 27, 2020, weighing 7 lbs 2 oz; co-parented with Benjamin Maisani.
Guest host on Jeopardy!
Served as a guest host on Jeopardy! from April 19 to April 30, 2021 following Alex Trebek's death.
Published Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
Co-authored and published Vanderbilt, a history of his family, on September 21, 2021.
Launched podcast 'All There Is'
Launched a personal podcast about grief and loss interviewing notable guests; inspired by his own experiences with loss.
Announced second son Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper
On Feb 10, 2022 Cooper announced the birth of a second son and that Benjamin Maisani was in process of adopting Wyatt.
Launched CNN series 'The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper'
On April 16, 2023 CNN launched a Sunday primetime series hosted by Cooper focused on character-driven investigative stories.
Won Webby Award for Best Series (Podcast) for 'All There Is'
Won the 2023 Webby People's Voice Award for Best Series for his podcast All There Is; also honored for Best Host.
Received Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism
Awarded the 2023 Poynter Medal recognizing lifetime achievement in journalism.
Published Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Published Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune on September 19, 2023 (co-authored/book project).
Ambie Award nomination for Best Podcast Host (All There Is)
Nominated for a 2024 Ambie Award for Best Podcast Host for All There Is.
Continues to anchor Anderson Cooper 360° and contribute to 60 Minutes
As of 2025 Cooper remains anchor of AC360, hosts other CNN specials and continues as a 60 Minutes correspondent.
Key Achievement Ages
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