History of Anderson Cooper in Timeline
Anderson Cooper is a prominent American broadcast journalist and political commentator, best known as the anchor of CNN's 'Anderson Cooper 360°' and a correspondent for CBS News' '60 Minutes.' He graduated from Yale University and started his career traveling and filming war zones for Channel One News. Before joining CNN, he worked for ABC News in various roles, including correspondent, co-anchor, and even briefly as a reality game show host. His career spans serious journalism and more mainstream media appearances.
1950: Birth of Leopold Stokowski
In 1950, Anderson Cooper's half-brother, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski, was born.
1952: Birth of Christopher Stokowski
In 1952, Anderson Cooper's half-brother, Christopher Stokowski, was born.
June 3, 1967: Anderson Cooper Born
On June 3, 1967, Anderson Hays Cooper was born. He is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator.
September 17, 1970: Guest on The Tonight Show
On September 17, 1970, at the age of three, Anderson Cooper appeared on The Tonight Show with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.
January 5, 1978: Death of Wyatt Emory Cooper
On January 5, 1978, Anderson Cooper's father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, died at the age of 50 following heart surgery.
July 22, 1988: Death of Carter Vanderbilt Cooper
On July 22, 1988, Anderson Cooper's older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide at the age of 23.
1989: Graduated from Yale University
In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began traveling the world to film war-torn regions for Channel One News.
1992: Filmed Stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda
In 1992, Anderson Cooper filmed stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda for Channel One.
1994: Became Desensitized to Violence
In 1994, after years of covering violent events, Anderson Cooper realized he had become desensitized to the violence he was witnessing.
1995: Correspondent for ABC News
In 1995, Anderson Cooper became a correspondent for ABC News.
1995: Hired by ABC News
In 1995, Anderson Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent.
September 21, 1999: Co-Anchor on World News Now
On September 21, 1999, Anderson Cooper became a co-anchor on ABC's World News Now.
2000: Hosted The Mole
In 2000, Anderson Cooper switched career paths to host ABC's reality show The Mole.
2001: Joined CNN
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and began hosting his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°.
2001: Joined CNN and Hosted American Morning
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN, initially anchoring alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning.
2002: CNN Weekend Prime-Time Anchor
In 2002, Anderson Cooper became CNN's weekend prime-time anchor and began hosting CNN's New Year's Eve special from Times Square.
September 8, 2003: Anchor of Anderson Cooper 360°
On September 8, 2003, Anderson Cooper became the anchor of Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN.
2004: CNN's Coverage of the 2004 Tsunami
In 2004, Anderson Cooper helped lead CNN's Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award-winning coverage of the 2004 tsunami.
August 2005: Covered Niger Famine
In August 2005, Anderson Cooper covered the Niger famine from Maradi.
September 2005: Added as Co-Anchor to Aaron Brown on NewsNight
In September 2005, Anderson Cooper was temporarily added as co-anchor to Aaron Brown on CNN's NewsNight to help cover the unusually violent hurricane season. The show was extended to 120 minutes.
November 2, 2005: Programming Shakeup at CNN
On November 2, 2005, CNN announced a major programming shakeup where Anderson Cooper's 360° program would be expanded to two hours and moved to the 10:00 pm ET slot formerly held by NewsNight.
2005: Confronted Government Officials During Hurricane Katrina Coverage
In 2005, during CNN's coverage of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, Anderson Cooper confronted Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. Trent Lott, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson about the government's response.
May 2006: Published Dispatches from the Edge
In May 2006, Anderson Cooper published his memoir Dispatches from the Edge, detailing his life and work in various regions. Proceeds were donated to charity.
June 18, 2006: Dispatches from the Edge Topped Best Seller List
On June 18, 2006, Anderson Cooper's book Dispatches from the Edge topped The New York Times Best Seller list.
October 2007: Hosted Planet in Peril
In October 2007, Anderson Cooper began hosting the documentary Planet in Peril with Sanjay Gupta and Jeff Corwin on CNN.
2007: Fill-in Co-Host on Live with Regis and Kelly
In 2007, Anderson Cooper filled in as co-host for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly.
2007: Signed Multi-Year Deal with CNN
In early 2007, Anderson Cooper signed a multi-year deal with CNN that allowed him to continue as a contributor to 60 Minutes and doubled his salary.
December 2008: Planet in Peril: Battle Lines
In December 2008, Cooper, Gupta, and Lisa Ling teamed up for a sequel, Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, which premiered on CNN.
2008: Cooper Reveals Dyslexia
In 2008, Anderson Cooper told Oprah Winfrey that he had dyslexia as a child.
September 2010: Signed Agreement to Host Syndicated Talk Show
In September 2010, Anderson Cooper signed an agreement with Warner Bros. and Telepictures to host a nationally syndicated talk show.
2010: Received National Order of Honour and Merit
In 2010, Anderson Cooper received the National Order of Honour and Merit, the highest honor granted by the Haitian government, for his coverage of the Haiti earthquake.
September 12, 2011: Premiered Anderson Live
On September 12, 2011, Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show, Anderson (later titled Anderson Live), premiered.
September 2011: Hosted Anderson Live
In September 2011, Anderson Cooper began hosting his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live.
2011: Received Edward Murrow Award
In 2011, Anderson Cooper received an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club.
2011: Narrator for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
In 2011, Anderson Cooper was the narrator for the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
July 2, 2012: Cooper Publicly Acknowledges Being Gay
On July 2, 2012, Anderson Cooper gave Andrew Sullivan permission to publish an email confirming he is gay, becoming "the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television" at the time.
October 29, 2012: Anderson Live to End
On October 29, 2012, it was announced that Anderson Live would end at the conclusion of its second season.
2012: Came Out as Gay
In 2012, Anderson Cooper came out as gay, becoming "the most prominent gay journalist on American television".
May 2013: Anderson Live ended
In May 2013, Anderson Live concluded its run after two seasons.
May 30, 2013: Final Airing of Anderson Live
On May 30, 2013, the final episode of Anderson Live aired.
2014: Purchased Rye House
In 2014, Anderson Cooper and his long-term partner at the time, Benjamin Maisani, purchased Rye House, a historic estate in Connecticut.
2014: Appeared in Finding Your Roots
In 2014, Anderson Cooper appeared in Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots, learning about an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner.
2014: Advised Tim Cook on Coming Out
In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook sought Anderson Cooper's advice before publicly coming out as gay.
March 2015: AC2 Tour Began
In March 2015, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper began their national tour with their conversational stage show AC2, starting in Boston.
2016: Not Registered to Any Political Party
As of 2016, Anderson Cooper was not registered to any political party.
2016: Moderated Presidential Debate
In 2016, Anderson Cooper became the first LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate and received several GLAAD Media Awards.
2017: Co-authored The Rainbow Comes and Goes
In 2017, Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, co-authored The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss, a memoir compiled from a series of emails.
2017: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve Coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2017, Anderson Cooper began co-hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen, succeeding Kathy Griffin.
March 2018: Split Up with Benjamin Maisani
In March 2018, Anderson Cooper confirmed that he and Benjamin Maisani had split up.
June 8, 2018: Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
After Anthony Bourdain died by suicide on June 8, 2018, Anderson Cooper paid tribute to him in a CNN special program, Remembering Anthony Bourdain.
October 2018: AC2 Tour Reached Fifty Cities
As of October 2018, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper's AC2 tour had reached more than fifty cities.
2018: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2018, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2019: Guest Co-Host on Live
As of 2019, Anderson Cooper still periodically serves as a guest co-host on Live when one of the two hosts is unavailable.
2019: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2019, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
April 30, 2020: Announced the Birth of His Son
On April 30, 2020, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, born via surrogate on April 27, during a CNN Town Hall on his show, Anderson Cooper 360°.
2020: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2020, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2020: Tribute to Bourdain on Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving 2020, Anderson Cooper paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain on Anderson Cooper Full Circle, expressing his pride in calling him a friend and noting that he is missed by many.
2021: Guest Host on Jeopardy!
From April 19 to 30, 2021, Anderson Cooper served as a guest host on Jeopardy! following the death of Alex Trebek.
2021: Published Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
In 2021, Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe published "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty", a history of the Vanderbilt family.
2021: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2021, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
February 10, 2022: Announced the birth of his second son
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his second son, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper, on his show on CNN. Benjamin Maisani is in the process of adopting Cooper's son Wyatt.
2022: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2022, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2022: Launched podcast exploring grief and loss
In 2022, Anderson Cooper launched a podcast where he interviews other notable people on their experiences with grief. The podcast was inspired by the losses in his own life, including his father, brother, and mother.
April 16, 2023: The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper Launched
On April 16, 2023, CNN launched a new Sunday primetime series, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.
2023: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2023, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2023: Won Webby Award for All There Is
In 2023, Anderson Cooper won a Webby Award for Best Series for "All There Is". His acceptance speech was "All There Is, Is Love."
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