Anderson Cooper, who was a child himself, never imagined he’d be able to have children.
“When I was 12 years old, I knew I was gay and thought about my life, and it always upset me because I thought, ‘I will never be able to have a kid,'” the 54-year-old CNN anchor told People.
He is now the delighted father of two gorgeous boys, forty years later.
Cooper is expecting his first child, Wyatt Morgan, in April 2020.
Cooper said after his son’s birth that he was named after his late father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, and that the name Morgan was a family name on his late mother Gloria Vanderbilt’s side that was on the shortlist to be his name.
Cooper admitted on Ellen DeGeneres’ EllenTube that he bought a lot of parenting books but never read them before Wyatt was born.
“I bought all these parenting books and didn’t read any of them. “It turns out you have to read the books,” he explained. “Just buying the books and keeping them around doesn’t work. You must really read them.”
Despite his reservations about his parenting abilities, Cooper stated he enjoyed “everything” about it. He also received a lot of help, particularly from his ex, Benjamin Maisani, who co-parents with him.
“It’s an unusual situation, but I knew he’d be a great dad, and he is.” We’re ex-spouses, but we’re family, and we love one other as family and co-parents.”
The “unusual” family has recently grown.
Cooper said on his show, Anderson Cooper 360, that he just welcomed another kid into his family, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. Maisani was also in the process of adopting Wyatt, who was 22 months old at the time.
“Hello, my name is Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. He weighed 6.8 pounds at birth, was healthy and joyful, and even his occasional hiccups are lovely to me. He primarily simply sleeps, eats, and poops, yet he already appears to be a clever and considerate little fellow.”
The CNN host intends to raise both of his boys with Maisani, whom he refers to as his best friend.
While being a first-time dad was difficult at first, Cooper says he’s “definitely calmer” the second time around.
Cooper hopes to take some time off work now that he has two gorgeous boys to enjoy the time with them before they grow up.
Anderson, congratulations! You have such a lovely family.