Anderson Cooper was born to wealth and fame, but his life has been anything but easy. He has faced tragic deaths in his family, career setbacks, and was forced to make his personal life public. Despite all the hardship, he is not only an amazing journalist but also an amazing person. He is one of few broadcast journalists who truly cares about the causes they report on, and improving the world. We think it is fair to say Anderson Cooper’s hardships, challenges and passion made him who he is today. Read on to find out the real story of his life and how he overcame adversary to change the world.
Early Life
Anderson Hays Cooper was born to a unique life of wealth and status. His father is Wyatt Emory Cooper (artist, fashion designer, writer) and his mother is heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, a decedent of Cornelius Vanderbilt who founded the very successful shipping and railroad company.
Gloria Vanderbilt And Wyatt Cooper
The Vanderbilt Family
The Vanderbilt family came from the Netherlands originally. During the “Gilded Age” in American history, Cornelius Vanderbilt began the shipping and railroad empire.
The Vanderbilt Family
Wealthiest Family in America
The Vanderbilts were the wealthiest family in America at one point in time. Cornelius was the richest man in America until his death in 1877.
The Richest Man In America
Cornelius Vanderbilt’s Net Worth
In 2016 dollars Cornelius was worth US $215 billion at the time of his death. He is the eighth-wealthiest figure of the modern period (net worth of $105–205 billion).
Net Worth
New York Central Railroad
Vanderbilt was a self-made man and he worked his way into leadership positions and eventually wealth. He is well known for owning the New York Central Railroad.
New York Central Railroad
Richest Man and Major Philanthropist
Vanderbilt is well remembered for being a huge philanthropist. He gave much money to different charitable organizations. For example, he provided the initial donation to found Vanderbilt University in Nashville. It was for $1 million dollars and was the largest charitable gift in American history up until that point.
Vanderbilt University
Other Big Deal Donations
Besides the university, Vanderbilt also bought a church and donated to many churches in the New York area. He gave a big gift to the Moravian Church on Staten Island for a cemetery. He chose to be buried there.
Moravian Church
Big Inheritance
After Cornelius died, his son William acquired the family fortune. He was then the richest man in America until he died in 1885.
William Vanderbilt
Famous Family
While the family is still very wealthy and regarded with a high status, some of their prominence declined in the mid-20th century. They had a mansion on Fifth Avenue that was torn down, and many of their belongings were sold or put into a museum called “Fall of the House of Vanderbilt.”
Fall Of The House Of Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt is Anderson Cooper’s mother and great-great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. In the 1930s she was involved in a very, very high-profile child custody trial.
Gloria Vanderbilt
The Infamous Custody Battle
The famous battle was between her mom, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. They both sought custody of Gloria so they could control her $5 million trust fund.
Gertrude And Gloria Vanderbilt
The Trial Of The Century
The press called it the “trial of the century.” There was much scandalous evidence that proved Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was an unfit parent.
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt
Custody Battle
The trial was so controversial that during the trial the judge asked everyone to leave the courtroom to allow young Gloria to give her testimony without being influenced.
Young Gloria Vanderbilt
The Court’s Decision
Many people heard screams and cries from the courtroom. Young Gloria gave a testimony stating her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, abused her. Custody was awarded to her aunt.
Gloria Loses Her Child
Custody Battle Was a Cultural Phenomenon
After this, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt had to live on a reduced portion of her daughter’s trust. Gloria was raised by her aunt Gertrude in Long Island.
Custody Battle Became A Cultural Phenomenon
NBA Miniseries
The story of the trial was told in the 1982 NBC miniseries, Little Gloria…Happy at Last. It was nominated for 6 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe award.
Gloria And Gertrude Arriving At Court
Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria went on to become an artist, author, actress, fashion designer, and socialite. In the 1970s she started a line of fashion, perfumes, and household items with her last name.
Glorida Vanderbilt Designer
Vanderbilt Jeans
She is most well known for her line of jeans. An Indian designer approached in 1976 about launching a line of jeans with Vanderbilt’s signature embroidered on the back pocket. The jeans were sometimes called “before their time,” and were tighter than other jeans.
Vanderbilt Jeans
Logo
The Indian designer was named Mohan Murjani and he asked for Vanderbilt’s signature and her swan logo to be on the line of jeans. The logo appeared on everything Vanderbilt launched including blouses, sheets, liqueurs, blouses, and shoes.
Vanderbilt Jeans Swan Logo
Vanderbilt Jeans
In 1978, Gloria sold the rights to her name to the Indian designer’s company and launched her own company called “GV Ltd.” on 7th Avenue in New York. She has also launched a line of fragrances under the brand name “Gloria Vanderbilt.” The rights to Gloria Vanderbilt jeans were sold in 2002.
Sold Jean Rights
Anderson’s Mom
Besides her line of jeans, and other entrepreneurial endeavors, Gloria is very well known because she is the mother of Anderson Cooper.
Gloria Vanderbilt And Anderson Cooper
The Birth of Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper was born in Manhattan, New York, on June 3, 1967. His maternal great-great-great grandfather was Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Baby Anderson Cooper
Did You Know He Was A Famous Baby?
Renowned photographer Diane Arbus took a photograph of Anderson sleeping when he was a baby which appeared in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1968. She had to convince the Vanderbilt’s to allow the photo to be published, and she succeeded. It is one of Arbus’s most famous photographs and is entitled “A Very Young Baby.”
A Very Young Baby
He Thought People Turned Into Statues
Anderson wrote in his autobiography entitled, “Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival,” that when he was a child he thought when people died they became statues! This is because as a young boy his mother showed him the statue of his great-great-great-grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt at Grand Central Station. Thus, for several years after, he believed that when one’s older relatives died, they turned into statues. Good thing that is not true!
Cornelius Vanderbilt Statue
A Lavish Social Life
Cooper often attended parties growing up with very famous, interesting people. His parents often hosted parties attended by celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Lillian Gish, and George Plimpton. His father believed Anderson and his brothers should always attend the parties and believed in treating them as adults from an early age.
Vanderbilt Parties
It Wasn’t All Glamour For Anderson
It’s easy to look at Anderson’s life today and think it all came easy, but he didn’t. He has had anything but an easy life. He persevered in the face of much hardship to reach where he is today.
It Wasnt All Glamour
He Suffered From Dyslexia
Anderson Cooper suffered from mild dyslexia as a child. At the beginning of his career he didn’t want to speak about it publicly, but now he is very open about it and many look to him as an inspiration. Cooper stated in interviews he used to pretend to read by just staring at books until teachers caught on. He accredits the help of a reading specialist he worked with several times a week as a child to him overcoming the disease. She told him to pick books he was passionate about, and to not give up.
Dyslexia
Tragedy In The Family
Sadly, Anderson Cooper’s father passed away at age 50 from repeated heart attacks. Anderson was only 10 years old and was completely devastated. He has spoken publicly about his close relationship with his father and said he was a great mentor and source of support for him and his siblings. His father’s death inspired him to earn an income on his own, so he began modeling for Ford Modeling Agency. He modeled from ages 10 to 13.
Wyatt Cooper
His Brother’s Tragic Suicide
10 years after his father’s death, tragedy struck the family again. This time it was Anderson’s older brother, Carter. He committed suicide when he was only 23 by jumping from the 14th-floor of the Vanderbilt’s New York City apartment. His brother’s suicide was very traumatic and Anderson cites this event as the spark for his interest in pursuing a career in journalism. To explain, Anderson told Biography.com, “I became interested in questions of survival: why some people survive and others don’t…covering wars just seemed logical.”
Anderson And Carter
Education
Cooper is well known for his intellect and it is no wonder why. He had some of the best education in the world during most of his life! He attended the Dalton School in New York City for high school and received a B.A. from Yale University in 1989 for political science.
Anderson Cooper Attended Yale
No Inheritance
While his family is clearly very wealthy, Anderson and his brothers were told from a young age that they would get no inheritance. His parents told them they would pay for his college, but after that, he was on his own financially.
No Inheritance
No Inheritance
Cooper stated, “I think my mom and dad both wanted to get across to me that … I obviously grew up with great privilege and was very lucky and was able to afford college and not have student loans and they would pay for college, but beyond that, it would be up to me to make a living.”
No Inheritance Will Make Him Stronger
No CIA Career for AC
Most people don’t know this but while he was at Yale, Anderson interned for the CIA. He was offered a job after graduation but turned it down to pursue a career in journalism. Cooper stated it was “pretty bureaucratic” and referred to the work at “mundane.”
CIA
Fake Press Pass
After graduation, and feeling the pressure to support himself financially, Anderson tried to get an entry-level job at ABC. He was denied. He really wanted to be a war correspondent and was getting frustrated at all the doors closing. He decided to take matters into his own hands and asked a friend to make him a fake press pass so he could sneak into places like Burma, Somalia, and Iraq. Using his own camera, he videotaped himself in dangerous areas, creating his own news shorts.
Burma Student Protest
Channel One
Anderson worked as a fact checker for Channel One and sold them some of his news segments. The first one they bought was of his coverage of a student protest in Burma. What he did was certainly risky, but it paid off! Not too long after the channel made him an official correspondent.
Channel One Press Pass
Anderson In Vietnam
Anderson then decided to move to Vietnam and study Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi. He filmed and created reports about life in Vietnam that was shown on Channel One. His experience there led him to cover other war-torn areas such as Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia later in his career.
Vietnam
ABC News
After being initially rejected by ABC news for a phone answering job, Anderson achieved his dream and became an ABC correspondent in 1995. He faced some harsh criticism for his early work and often was made fun of in the media.
ABC News
The Mole
He continued with ABC until 2000 and decided to take a break from the news. He accepted a job to host a reality show called The Mole which aired on ABC.
The Mole
CNN
After 9/11 happened, Anderson decided it was time to return to his true passion, broadcast news. He joined CNN in 2001 and anchored with Paula Zahn on “American Morning.” He quickly made a name for himself and gained a huge fan base.
Anderson On CNN
Living The Good Life
He was promoted in 2002 to be CNN’s weekend prime-time anchor. Anderson now earns $11 million annually at CNN, plus bonuses. His net worth is about $100 million.
On CNN
Anderson Cooper 360°
In 2003, CNN gave him his own show: “Anderson Cooper 360°.” Anderson changed broadcast journalism forever with this show. What he did was a huge break away from traditional anchors who he said “seemed fake” and like computers filled with facts about everything. He wanted to take a more real and honest approach and report in a way that also demonstrated his personality. He thought this would be more attractive to viewers, and he was right!
AC 360
Critical World Events
The show received very high ratings and Anderson covered the most important stories around the world. Some critical events he covered include Hurricane Katrina, the Cedar Revolution in Beirut, and the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla.
Cedar Revolution
Reporting On The Field
Anderson stated, “I’ve always loved reporting from the field most of all. There’s something about doing live TV and being there as it happens that’s always appealed to me. I think there’s great value to bearing witness to these events as they’re actually happening.”
Somalia
A Reporter, And An Activist
Anderson’s work never stops with his reporting, he is a true activist. He covered war-town areas with many victims to try to bring awareness to the issue and help people in need. He often personally confronted government leaders to demand more action where it was needed. For example, he confronted Senators Mary Landrieu and Trent Scott about the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Anderson stated it was impossible for him to not have a response to seeing so many people suffering.
Hurricane Katrina
Planet in Peril
Anderson also is an environmental advocate. He hosted the documentary Planet in Peril alongside Sanjay Gupta and Jeff Corwin in 2007 and also the sequel in 2008.
Planet In Peril
Anderson Live
Cooper was given his own nationally syndicated talk show in 2010 and it premiered in 2011. Its ratings were much lower than expected, and the last episode aired in May 2013.
Anderson Live
LGBTQ Activism
When Anderson started his career, he refused to comment on his sexual orientation. Many in the media began to speculate this was because he was ashamed that he was gay. Anderson simply did not want to discuss his private life in interviews, but eventually, he decided to announce he was openly gay.
GLBTQ
Official Announcement
On July 2, 2012, he gave Andrew Sullivan permission to the public an email which stated: “I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something-something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true. … 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.”
Official Announcement
Making History
Now Anderson is openly gay and the New York Times reported he is “the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television.” Recently, Anderson made history to be the first openly gay person to moderate a presidential debate. He moderated the second election debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Trump And Clinton Debate
Anderson and Benjamin
Anderson was in a high profile relationship with Benjamin Maisani since 2009. They lived together in Greenwich Village.
Anderson And Benjamin
Recent Breakup
Anderson confirmed early last month that he and Benjamin would be going their separate ways. He told People Magazine, “Benjamin and I separated as boyfriends some time ago. We are still family to each other, and love each other very much.” They were together for 9 years.
Recent Breakup
New Love?
The press has reported Anderson already has a new love. Cooper has been making trips to Dallas to spend time with a 33-year-old radiologist Victor Lopez.
New Fling
Famous Friend
Anderson Cooper is publicly longtime close friends with Andy Cohen. They first met because they actually almost went on a blind date with each other. During an initial phone conversation, Cohen offended Cooper buy asking about his mother, Gloria. The date never happened because of this, but they became close friends.
Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen has an amazing career that is still growing. He is the talk show host of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” an author, and a creator of the “Real Housewives” franchise.
Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen Almost Dated
AC2
A few years ago Andy and Anderson decided to collaborate and launched “AC2.” It is a show where they openly discuss issues and gossip. They also try to embarrass each other with old videos and photos. They are still touring now!
AC2
Kathy Griffin
Anderson Cooper had a long-time friendship with the famous comedian Kathy Griffin, but their friendship recently came to an end. The two met when Anderson Cooper appeared on her MTV show entitled “Kathy’s So-Called Reality.”
Kathy’s So-Called Reality
Anderson and Kathy Griffin
When the two met, they hit it off! They developed a close friendship and started co-hosting CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve Special together. They were friends for nearly 2 decades!
Anderson And Kathy
Anderson and Kathy Griffin’s Relationship
Their relationship took a turn after a controversial event. Recently Kathy stated in an interview with Howard Stern, “I was in love with him as a friend.” She continued to explain, “I loved him as a friend. [The friendship] was closer the first five years, then I think he’s the type of guy who’s into shiny objects, so, later on, he wasn’t as into it.”
Kathy Griffin And Anderson Cooper
The Infamous Trump Photo
The catalyst that ended their relationship was a photograph. Kathy posed with a replica of President Donald Trump’d decapitated head. This resulted in a nationwide scandal and ultimately ended her longtime friendship with Anderson Cooper.
Kathy Griggin Trump Photo
CNN Fired Her
Kathy was fired from the CNN New Year’s Eve broadcast she co-hosted with Anderson for 10 years.
CNN Fired Kathy
Anderson Took To Twitter
After the photo was published Anderson Cooper wrote on Twitter, “For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in,” he wrote. “It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.”
Took To Twitter
It Was CNN’s Decision
In an interview, Anderson Cooper stated: “CNN made the decision not to bring her back.” He added, “I had nothing to do with it, but I certainly understand why they made that decision.”
Friendship Is Over
Are they friends or not??
The controversy doesn’t end there. Anderson Cooper has publicly denied their friendship is over. He stated, “Yeah, we’re still friends. And look, I said what I said about — I didn’t think what she said was appropriate, but I wish her the best and I hope she bounces back. She’s incredibly funny and a lot of people love her and I think she’ll bounce back from this.”
Are They Friends Or Not@
Are they friends or not?
While making an appearance at Arizona’s Comerica Theatre, he also stated, “I don’t want anybody’s career to be destroyed because they do something unfortunate and inappropriate.” He continued to explain, “Look, I wish her well and I hope she bounces back and keeps doing what she does best, which is make people laugh.”
Do They Have A Relationship@
Friendship Is Over
Kathy Griffin has spoken out about this in many interviews. She said she was upset he was publicly claiming they are still friends without communicating with her. When he finally reached out to her through text messaging, she told him their friendship was over.
Kathy And Anderson
In His Defense…
A friend of Anderson defended him in the media. A close source stated Anderson was simply “shocked and upset by the photo, and while he was not ready to talk to her personally about it, he still considered her to be a friend, and was publicly supportive when asked about the controversy.”
In His Defense
Silver Fox
Besides being known for his journalism, activism, and famous friendships, Anderson is well known for his dashing good looks. He is certainly a silver fox! Anderson stated he began getting gray hair at the age of 20 and was completely gray by the age of 35.
Silver Fox
Best Dressed and Sexiest Man Alive
Anderson was ranked as one of the top 10 men on Vanity Fair’s international best-dressed list in 2004, and 2006. He was also named as one of the Sexiest Men Alive in 2005 by People magazine. More recently, in 2017 and May of 2018 he was named “the Sexiest Journalist Alive” by Glamour’s magazine.
Best Dressed
He Is Still Pursuing His Passion
Anderson is continuing to pursue his passion, reporting for CNN. He is still covering conflict areas, major international issues and also of course politics in America.
Disaster Relief
Anderson Changed The World
Anderson Cooper has had anything but a normal life. Despite being born to wealth, he has worked very hard to get where he is today. He cares about people suffering, and clearly uses his status to help people in need. We hope he continues to pursue his passion, and change the world for the better.
Anderson And Gloria