History of Anderson Cooper in Timeline
Anderson Cooper is a prominent American broadcast journalist and political commentator, best known for anchoring CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°. He also contributes to CBS News' 60 Minutes as a correspondent. After graduating from Yale, he gained early experience filming in war zones for Channel One News. Cooper joined ABC News in 1995, taking on various roles, including co-anchor and reality show host, before transitioning to CNN. His career spans diverse journalistic endeavors, solidifying his position as a respected figure in broadcast news.
1950: Half-brother Leopold Stokowski born
In 1950, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski, Anderson Cooper's older half-brother, was born.
1952: Half-brother Christopher Stokowski born
In 1952, Christopher Stokowski, Anderson Cooper's older half-brother, 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 who anchors the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360° and serves as a correspondent for 60 Minutes.
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: Father Wyatt Cooper Died
On January 5, 1978, Anderson Cooper's father, Wyatt Cooper, died at the age of 50 due to complications during open-heart surgery.
July 22, 1988: Brother Carter Vanderbilt Cooper's Suicide
On July 22, 1988, Anderson Cooper's older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide at age 23 by jumping from the 14th-floor terrace of Vanderbilt's New York City penthouse apartment.
1989: Graduated from Yale University
In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began traveling, shooting footage of 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 reporting from conflict zones, Anderson Cooper realized he had become desensitized to the violence he was witnessing.
1995: Became 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, later taking on various roles within the network.
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: Hosted The Mole
In 2000, Anderson Cooper switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC's reality show, The Mole.
2001: Joined CNN
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and anchored alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning.
2002: CNN Weekend Prime-Time Anchor
In 2002, Anderson Cooper became CNN's weekend prime-time anchor and has since 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's Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award-winning coverage of the 2004 tsunami
In 2004, Anderson Cooper helped lead CNN's Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award-winning coverage of the tsunami.
August 2005: Covered Niger Famine
In August 2005, Anderson Cooper covered the Niger famine from Maradi.
September 2005: Co-anchor of NewsNight
In September 2005, Anderson Cooper was temporarily added as co-anchor to Aaron Brown on CNN's NewsNight, which had its format changed to 120 minutes to cover the hurricane season.
November 2, 2005: Programming Shakeup at CNN
On November 2, 2005, CNN announced a major programming shakeup, with Anderson Cooper's 360° program expanded and shifted to the 10:00 pm ET slot, formerly held by NewsNight.
2005: Coverage of Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, during CNN 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.
May 2006: Published Dispatches from the Edge
In May 2006, Anderson Cooper published a memoir for HarperCollins, Dispatches from the Edge, detailing his life and work in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq, and Louisiana over the previous year.
June 18, 2006: Dispatches from the Edge Topped NY Times 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 was a fill-in 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, Anderson Cooper, Sanjay Gupta, and Lisa Ling teamed up for Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, a sequel to Planet in Peril, which premiered on CNN.
2008: Cooper reveals dyslexia
In 2008, Anderson Cooper revealed to Oprah Winfrey that he had dyslexia as a child.
September 2010: Signed agreement to host 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, named Anderson (later titled Anderson Live).
2010: Received National Order of Honour and Merit
In 2010, Anderson Cooper received a National Order of Honour and Merit from the Haitian government for his coverage of the Haiti earthquake.
September 12, 2011: Premiered Anderson Live
On September 12, 2011, Anderson's nationally syndicated talk show, Anderson Live, premiered.
September 2011: Hosted Anderson Live
From September 2011, Anderson Cooper hosted 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, directed by Rob Ashford and 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 in which he acknowledged being gay. At the time, The New York Times described him as "the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television".
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 Concluded
In May 2013, Anderson Live concluded after running since September 2011.
May 30, 2013: Final Anderson Live aired
On May 30, 2013, the final Anderson Live show aired.
2014: Cooper purchases Rye House with Benjamin Maisani
In 2014, Anderson Cooper and his then long-term partner, Benjamin Maisani, purchased Rye House, a historic estate in Connecticut.
2014: Appeared on Finding Your Roots
In 2014, Anderson Cooper appeared on Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots, where he learned of an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner from the southern United States.
2014: Cooper advises Tim Cook
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 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: Moderated a 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.
2017: Co-hosted 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 Benjamin Maisani Split
In March 2018, Anderson Cooper confirmed that he and 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 him in a CNN special program, Remembering Anthony Bourdain.
October 2018: AC2 Tour Reached Fifty Cities
As of October 2018, the AC2 two-man show, featuring Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, had toured to more than fifty cities.
2018: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen
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 guest co-host on Live.
2019: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2019, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
April 30, 2020: Cooper announces the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper
On April 30, 2020, Anderson Cooper announced on Anderson Cooper 360° and Instagram the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, who was born via surrogate on April 27 and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces.
2020: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2020, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2020: Cooper pays tribute to Anthony Bourdain again
In 2020, Anderson Cooper paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain on the Thanksgiving episode of Anderson Cooper Full Circle, remembering him as a friend.
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: Publication of 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 coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2021, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
February 10, 2022: Cooper announces the birth of his second son
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced on CNN that he had become a father for the second time to a son named Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. Benjamin Maisani is adopting Cooper's son Wyatt.
2022: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2022, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2022: Cooper launches podcast exploring grief and loss
In 2022, Anderson Cooper launched "All There Is with Anderson Cooper," a deeply personal podcast exploring grief and loss, featuring interviews with notable people about their experiences.
April 16, 2023: CNN launched The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
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 coverage with Andy Cohen
In 2023, Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Andy Cohen.
2023: Cooper wins Webby Award for Best Series 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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