On September 8, 2003, Cooper launched his flagship program, Anderson Cooper 360°. The show has covered a range of major global events, including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the death of Pope John Paul II, and Hurricane Katrina. Cooper’s emotionally charged coverage of Katrina drew significant attention. During one segment, he confronted Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu for her vague responses about relief efforts and was later seen tearful next to a tattered American flag. His authenticity resonated with viewers, and the show’s ratings surged by 400%.
Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post noted, “Viewers are tired of cookie-cutter anchors with perfect diction and haircuts. Anderson Cooper represents a shift—a journalist who’s both human and professional.” Jonathan Klein, then head of CNN, added, “He brings a new dimension to the job: an anchor as a kind of missionary.”
In May 2006, Cooper published Dispatches from the Edge, a memoir documenting his reporting in Sri Lanka, Iraq, Africa, and Louisiana. The book reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and much of its proceeds were donated to charity. In 2016, he co-authored The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss with his mother. That memoir also debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and remained for several weeks.
In 2007, Cooper signed a multi-year contract with CNN, doubling his salary and securing a contributor role on 60 Minutes. That year, he also began hosting CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute and the environmental documentary series Planet in Peril. Although his daytime talk show Anderson was canceled in 2013, Anderson Cooper 360° remains a CNN mainstay.
In 2016, Cooper made history by becoming the first openly gay journalist to moderate a U.S. presidential debate, sharing the stage with Martha Raddatz during the second debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Cooper's work has earned critical acclaim and numerous accolades. At ABC, he won an Emmy Award for coverage of Princess Diana's funeral and a Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for his reporting on the Bosnian War. At CNN, he contributed to the network’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina and earned a DuPont Award for tsunami reporting in 2004.
Throughout his career, Cooper has accumulated 16 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as honors from GLAAD and the National Headliner Awards.
Cooper is openly gay and widely recognized as one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ figures in American journalism. For many years, he declined to speak publicly about his personal life, explaining to New York Magazine, “Being a reporter means being an observer. I didn’t want anything to interfere with that.”
On July 2, 2012, Cooper made his orientation public, stating: “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.”
He was in a long-term relationship with Benjamin Maisani, a nightclub owner, before confirming their separation in 2018. Despite the split, Cooper noted, “We are still family… we remain the best of friends and will continue to share much of our lives together.”
Cooper has described the blending of his personal and professional lives, once saying, “I don’t really have a life off-air. It all blends together.”
He maintains a strong presence on social media, with over 10 million followers on Twitter (@andersoncooper), over 1.6 million on Instagram (@andersoncooper), and more than 890,000 followers on Facebook (@andersoncooper).
Return to the previous page| Birth Date: | 3 Jun, 1967 |
| Age: | 52 yrs |
| Occupations: | Journalist Model Television presenter Writer |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | New York City |
| residence: | New York Vietnam |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American journalist, television presenter and author |
| Twitter Id: | Andersoncooper |
| Net Worth 2021: | 200 million |
