Anderson Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anderson Cooper
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Cooper in 2018
|
|
| Born |
Anderson Hays Cooper
June 3, 1967 New York City, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Employer |
|
| Television |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Relatives | Vanderbilt family |
Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American journalist and TV host. He is the main anchor for the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. He also works as a reporter for the show 60 Minutes on CBS News.
After graduating from Yale University in 1989, Cooper traveled the world. He filmed stories in war-torn countries for a news program called Channel One News. In 1995, he was hired by ABC News as a reporter. He later hosted a reality TV show and filled in on a morning talk show.
Cooper joined CNN in 2001 and started hosting his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°. He became well-known for reporting directly from the scene of major news events. His coverage of Hurricane Katrina made him very popular. He has won many awards for his work, including 18 Emmy Awards.
Contents
Early Life and School
Cooper was born in Manhattan, New York City. His parents were the writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and the artist Gloria Vanderbilt. He is a member of the famous Vanderbilt family. His great-great-grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt, made a huge fortune in the shipping and railroad business.
Cooper's experience with the media started when he was a baby. He was photographed by the famous photographer Diane Arbus for a magazine. When he was three, he was a guest on The Tonight Show with his mother. From ages 10 to 13, he modeled for famous brands like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.
Tragedy struck his family twice. His father, Wyatt, died after heart surgery in 1978. When Cooper was 21, his older brother, Carter, died in a tragic accident in 1988. These losses made Cooper interested in journalism. He wanted to understand why some people can survive difficult situations while others can't.
Cooper went to the Dalton School, a private school in Manhattan. After graduating a semester early, he traveled through Africa. He later went to Yale University and studied political science, graduating in 1989.
Journalism Career
Getting Started
After college, Cooper wanted to be a journalist but had no formal training. He tried to get a job at ABC but was not hired. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. A friend helped him make a fake press pass.
He was working as a fact-checker for Channel One News, a news program for students. Using his fake pass, he went to Myanmar by himself. There, he met with students who were protesting against the government. He filmed their stories, and Channel One aired them. This was the start of his career as a reporter.
For the next few years, he filmed stories in dangerous places like Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda.
Working for ABC
In 1995, Cooper became a reporter for ABC News. He later became a co-anchor for the overnight news show World News Now. In 2000, he took a break from news to host the reality TV show The Mole. He said he wanted a change and was interested in reality TV.
Joining CNN
After two seasons of The Mole, Cooper returned to news. He joined CNN in 2001. He said the events of 9/11 made him feel he needed to get back to reporting.
Anderson Cooper 360°
In 2003, Cooper began hosting his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°. He wanted to be a different kind of news anchor. He believed in being himself and admitting what he didn't know.
In 2005, he reported on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He became famous for his emotional reporting and for asking tough questions to politicians about the government's response. This style of reporting connected with many viewers and made him a star at CNN.
Other CNN Shows
Over the years, Cooper has hosted other programs for CNN.
- CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute: Since 2007, he has hosted this special show that honors everyday people who do amazing things to help others.
- New Year's Eve Live: He has hosted CNN's New Year's Eve celebration from Times Square since 2002. His friend Andy Cohen has been his co-host since 2017.
- The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: This series, which started in 2023, takes a deep look at one major story each episode.
Reporting for 60 Minutes
Since 2007, Cooper has also worked as a correspondent for the CBS news show 60 Minutes. This allows him to do in-depth reports on a variety of topics while still hosting his show on CNN.
Other Work
Writing Books
Cooper is a freelance writer and has written several books.
- Dispatches from the Edge (2006): A memoir about his experiences reporting from war zones and disaster areas.
- The Rainbow Comes and Goes (2017): A book he wrote with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, about their lives and relationship.
- Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty (2021): A history of his mother's famous family.
- Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune (2023): A book about another famous American family.
Podcast: All There Is
In 2022, Cooper started a podcast about grief and loss called All There Is. He was inspired by the losses in his own life, including his father, brother, and mother. On the show, he talks with famous people like Stephen Colbert and Molly Shannon about their own experiences with grief. The podcast won a Webby Award in 2023.
Personal Life
.jpg)
Cooper has said he had dyslexia, a learning disorder that makes reading difficult, when he was a child.
In 2012, Cooper publicly shared that he is gay. He said he wanted to be open about his life to avoid giving the impression that he was hiding something. He is considered one of the most well-known openly gay journalists on American television. In 2016, he became the first openly LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate.
On April 30, 2020, Cooper announced the birth of his first son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper. On February 10, 2022, he announced the birth of his second son, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. He co-parents his children with his former partner and close friend, Benjamin Maisani.
Awards
Cooper has won many awards for his journalism. He has won 18 Emmy Awards for his reporting on events like the earthquake in Haiti and for his show Anderson Cooper 360°. He was also part of the CNN teams that won a Peabody Award for covering Hurricane Katrina and an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for covering the 2004 tsunami in Asia.
In 2010, the government of Haiti gave him the National Order of Honour and Merit, its highest honor, for his reporting on the earthquake there.
See also
In Spanish: Anderson Cooper para niños
- LGBT culture in New York City
- List of LGBT people from New York City
- New Yorkers in journalism
