Anderson Cooper
CNN anchor and first openly gay presidential debate moderator.
Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator who anchors the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition to his duties at CNN, for about 11 years Cooper served as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, produced by CBS News. After graduating from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, he began traveling the world, shooting footage of war-torn regions for Channel One News. Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent in 1995, but he soon took more jobs throughout the network, working for a short time as a co-anchor, reality game show host, and fill-in morning talk show host. In 2001, Cooper joined CNN, where he was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°, which debuted in 2003; he has remained the show's host since. He developed a reputation for his on-the-ground reporting of breaking news events, with his coverage of Hurricane Katrina causing his popularity to sharply increase. For his coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Cooper received a National Order of Honour and Merit, the highest honor granted by the Haitian government. From September 2011 to May 2013, he also served as the host of his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live. Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, as well as an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club in 2011. A member of the Vanderbilt family, he came out as gay in 2012, becoming "the most prominent gay journalist on American television". He has received several GLAAD Media Awards.
- born
- June 3, 1967
- field
- Broadcast journalism, political commentary
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Anchoring Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN; coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 201
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Cooper was born in Manhattan, New York City, the younger son of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and artist Gloria Vanderbilt. His maternal grandparents were millionaire equestrian Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt of the Vanderbilt family and socialite Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and Reginald's patrilineal great-grandfather was business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the prominent Vanderbilt shipping and railroad fortune. He has two older half-brothers, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski (b. 1950) and Christopher Stokowski (b. 1952), from Gloria's ten-year marriage to conductor Leopold Stokowski. In 2014, Cooper appeared in Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots, where he learned of an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner from the southern United States. Cooper's media experience began early. As a baby, he was photographed by Diane Arbus for Harper's Bazaar. At the age of three, Cooper was a guest on The Tonight Show on September 17, 1970, appearing with his mother. At the age of nine, he appeared on To Tell the Truth as an impostor. From age 10 to 13, Cooper modeled with Ford Models for Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Macy's. Wyatt experienced a series of heart attacks while undergoing open-heart surgery, and died January 5, 1978, at the age of 50. Cooper considers his father's book Families to be "sort of a guide on... how he would have wanted me to live my life and the choices he would have wanted me to make. And so I feel very connected to him." When Cooper was 21, his older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide. Cooper has stated that his interest in journalism began before Carter's death, sparked by his early experiences and curiosity about the world.
Reader's Guide
Anderson Cooper's significance lies in his long tenure as a leading cable news anchor and his role as a prominent openly gay journalist. His on-the-ground reporting of breaking news, especially Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, sharply increased his popularity and earned him Haiti's highest honor. Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and an Edward R. Murrow Award. By coming out as gay in 2012 and moderating a presidential debate in 2016, he became a symbol of LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media. His career reflects a shift from traditional anchor personas to a more personal, direct style of reporting. Cooper's legacy includes his work across multiple networks—ABC, CBS, and CNN—and his ability to cover both hard news and lighter formats, such as hosting The Mole and guest-hosting Live with Regis and Kelly.
Did You Know?
- At age three, Cooper appeared on The Tonight Show on September 17, 1970, with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt.
- Cooper used a forged press pass to enter Myanmar and report on students fighting the Burmese government.
- He contracted malaria during a survival trip to Africa at age 17 and was hospitalized in Kenya.
- Cooper's older brother Carter died by suicide in 1988, which sparked Cooper's interest in journalism.
- In 2014, Cooper learned through Finding Your Roots that he had an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anderson Cooper?
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator born on June 3, 1967. He is best recognized for hosting the CNN program Anderson Cooper 360° and for his extensive on-the-ground reporting during major global events.
What is Anderson Cooper 360°?
It is a CNN news broadcast show that Cooper anchors, delivering breaking news, political analysis, and current-events coverage to a national audience. The program serves as his primary platform within the network.
What was Anderson Cooper's role at 60 Minutes?
Cooper worked as a correspondent for CBS News's 60 Minutes for roughly eleven years before moving to CNN. During that stretch he filed investigative reports and covered major stories for the long-running magazine-style news program.
Why is Anderson Cooper's debate moderation historically significant?
He became the first openly gay person to moderate a U.S. presidential debate, a milestone that marked a visible moment of LGBTQ+ representation in one of the most-watched political events in the country.
Where did Anderson Cooper go to college?
Cooper earned his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1989. After graduating, he spent time traveling to conflict zones to shoot footage for Channel One News before entering U.S. broadcast journalism.
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