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°. He also contributes to CBS News' 60 Minutes as a correspondent. After graduating from Yale, Cooper gained experience filming in war zones for Channel One News. He joined ABC News in 1995 and held various positions, including co-anchor and reality show host, before focusing on his career in news and current affairs.
1950: Birth of Half-Brother Leopold Stokowski
In 1950, Anderson Cooper's older half-brother, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski, was born.
1952: Birth of Half-Brother Christopher Stokowski
In 1952, Anderson Cooper's older half-brother, Christopher Stokowski, was born.
June 3, 1967: Anderson Cooper Born
On June 3, 1967, Anderson Hays Cooper was born. He would later become a broadcast journalist and political commentator, anchoring the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360°.
September 17, 1970: Guest on The Tonight Show
On September 17, 1970, at the age of three, Anderson Cooper was a guest on The Tonight Show, appearing with his mother.
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 due to complications from open-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, jumping from the 14th-floor terrace of Vanderbilt's New York City penthouse apartment.
1989: Graduation from Yale University
In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
1992: Filming in Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda
In 1992, Anderson Cooper filmed stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda for Channel One.
1994: Desensitization to Violence
In 1994, after a couple of years on assignment, Anderson Cooper realized that he had become desensitized to the violence he was witnessing. He noted that the horrors of the Rwandan genocide became trivial to him.
1995: Becomes a 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. He later took on various roles within the network, including co-anchor, reality game show host, and fill-in morning talk show host.
September 21, 1999: Co-Anchor on World News Now
On September 21, 1999, Anderson Cooper rose to the position of co-anchor on ABC's overnight World News Now program.
2000: Host of The Mole
In 2000, Anderson Cooper switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC's reality show The Mole.
2001: Joins CNN and anchors American Morning
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and his first position was to anchor alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning.
2001: Joins CNN and gets Anderson Cooper 360° show
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°. He has remained the show's host since then.
2002: Weekend Prime-Time Anchor and New Year's Eve Host
In 2002, Anderson Cooper became CNN's weekend prime-time anchor. Since 2002, he has hosted 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 Wins Award for Tsunami Coverage
In 2004, Anderson Cooper helped lead CNN's Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award-winning coverage of the tsunami.
August 2005: Covers the Niger Famine
In August 2005, Anderson Cooper covered the Niger famine from Maradi.
September 2005: NewsNight Format Change and Co-Anchor Role
In September 2005, CNN's NewsNight format was changed to cover the hurricane season, and Anderson Cooper was temporarily added as co-anchor to Aaron Brown.
November 2, 2005: Programming Shakeup at CNN
On November 2, 2005, CNN announced a major programming shakeup, expanding Anderson Cooper's 360° program to two hours and shifting it to the 10:00 pm ET slot. Aaron Brown subsequently left CNN.
2005: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, during CNN's coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Anderson Cooper confronted Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. Trent Lott, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson about their perception of the government response. His impassioned coverage led to his rise in the media.
May 2006: Publication of Dispatches from the Edge
In May 2006, Anderson Cooper published his memoir, Dispatches from the Edge, detailing his life and work in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq, and Louisiana.
June 18, 2006: Dispatches from the Edge Tops 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: Hosting 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 was a fill-in co-host for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly when Philbin underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.
2007: 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, Anderson Cooper, Sanjay Gupta, and Lisa Ling teamed up for a sequel, Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, which premiered.
September 2010: Agreement to Host a Nationally Syndicated Talk Show
In September 2010, Warner Bros. and Telepictures announced that Anderson Cooper had signed an agreement to host a nationally syndicated talk show.
2010: Awarded the 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: Premiere of Anderson Live
On September 12, 2011, Anderson's nationally syndicated talk show, Anderson Live, premiered. Cooper also signed a new contract with CNN to continue hosting Anderson Cooper 360°.
September 2011: Host of Anderson Live
Starting September 2011, Anderson Cooper served as the host of his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live.
2011: Edward Murrow Award
In 2011, Anderson Cooper received an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club.
2011: Narrator for Broadway Revival
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 Discusses Private Life
On July 2, 2012, Anderson Cooper gave Andrew Sullivan permission to publish an email in which he discussed his private life, marking a shift from his previous avoidance of the topic in interviews.
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 due to low ratings.
2012: Comes Out as Gay
In 2012, Anderson Cooper came out as gay, becoming "the most prominent gay journalist on American television".
May 2013: End of Anderson Live
In May 2013, Anderson Live, the syndicated television daytime talk show hosted by Anderson Cooper, ended its run.
May 30, 2013: Final Airing of Anderson Live
On May 30, 2013, the final episode of Anderson Live aired.
2014: Cooper Purchases 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: Appears on Finding Your Roots
In 2014, Anderson Cooper appeared in Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots, where he discovered an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner.
2014: Tim Cook Seeks Cooper's Advice
In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook sought Anderson Cooper's advice before making the decision to publicly come out as gay.
March 2015: AC2 National Tour Begins
In March 2015, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper began a national tour to perform their conversational stage show AC2, opening in Boston.
2016: Cooper's Political Affiliation
As of 2016, Anderson Cooper was not registered to any political party.
2016: Moderates a Presidential Debate
In 2016, Anderson Cooper became the first LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate. He also received several GLAAD Media Awards.
2017: Co-Authors Book with Gloria Vanderbilt
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, which landed on multiple best-seller lists.
2017: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve Coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2017, Anderson Cooper's close friend, Andy Cohen, joined Cooper in succeeding Kathy Griffin as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
March 2018: Cooper and Maisani Split Up
In March 2018, Anderson Cooper confirmed that he and his long-term partner at the time, Benjamin Maisani, had split up.
June 8, 2018: Cooper Pays Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
After Anthony Bourdain died by suicide on June 8, 2018, Anderson Cooper paid tribute to the celebrity chef and host of CNN's 'Parts Unknown' in a CNN special program called 'Remembering Anthony Bourdain'.
October 2018: AC2 Tour Reaches 50+ Cities
By October 2018, the AC2 tour, featuring Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, had reached more than fifty cities.
2018: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2018, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
2019: Guest Co-Host on Live
As of 2019, Anderson Cooper periodically serves as guest co-host on Live when one of the two hosts cannot go in to work.
2019: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2019, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
April 30, 2020: Cooper Announces Birth of Son
On April 30, 2020, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, who was born via surrogate on April 27. He made the announcement at the end of a CNN Town Hall on his show, Anderson Cooper 360°, and on Instagram.
2020: Cooper Pays Tribute to Bourdain
Anderson Cooper paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain on the Thanksgiving 2020 episode of Anderson Cooper Full Circle, saying that he was "proud to call Anthony Bourdain a friend", and adding: "He is so, so missed by so many."
2020: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2020, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
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: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2021, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
2021: Cooper Publishes Book on Vanderbilt Family
In 2021, Anderson Cooper and co-author Katherine Howe published 'Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty', a history of the Vanderbilt family going back to the 17th century.
February 10, 2022: Cooper Announces Birth of Second Son
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced on his CNN show that he had become a father for the second time to a son named Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. It was also announced that Maisani is in the process of adopting Cooper's son Wyatt.
2022: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2022, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
2022: Cooper Launches Podcast Exploring Grief and Loss
In 2022, Anderson Cooper launched a deeply personal podcast exploring grief and loss, featuring interviews with notable people about their experiences with grief.
April 16, 2023: Launch of The Whole Story
On April 16, 2023, CNN launched a new Sunday primetime series, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.
2023: Co-Hosting CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2023, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
2023: Cooper Wins Webby Award
In 2023, Anderson Cooper won a Webby Award for Best Series for 'All There Is'. His acceptance speech was "All There Is, Is Love."
Mentioned in this timeline
CBS is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio...
CNN or Cable News Network is a multinational news organization...
ABC News is the news division of the American television...
Connecticut the southernmost New England state is situated between Boston...
Alex Trebek was a Canadian-American television personality best known for...
New Year's Eve observed on December st marks the final...
Trending
49 minutes ago Brad Paisley to Headline NFL Draft Concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
49 minutes ago Savannah Guthrie's Absence and Craig Melvin's Whereabouts Spark 'Today' Show Inquiries
50 minutes ago Artemi Panarin faces sexual assault allegation; MSG settles with accuser.
50 minutes ago Zach Braff film 'Clean Hands' to shoot scene in Downtown Gainesville next week.
50 minutes ago Mike Tirico: Family, Sunday Night Football Role, and Impressive Net Worth Explored
50 minutes ago Buck Farmer Released by Braves: A Chance for Reds to Correct Mistake?
Popular
Doug Ford is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving...
The Real ID Act of is a US federal law...
Justin Trudeau served as the rd Prime Minister of Canada...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Bernard Bernie Sanders is a prominent American politician currently serving...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is a celebrated American...