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. After graduating from Yale, Cooper started his career filming in war zones for Channel One News. He later joined ABC News in 1995, taking on various roles within the network before eventually moving to CNN. Cooper's career encompasses news anchoring, political commentary, and reporting from diverse global locations.

1950: Birth of Half-Brother Leopold

In 1950, Anderson Cooper's older half-brother, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski, was born.

1952: Birth of Half-Brother Christopher

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 is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator.

September 17, 1970: Appearance on The Tonight Show

On September 17, 1970, at the age of three, Anderson Cooper appeared on The Tonight Show with his mother.

January 5, 1978: Death of Father

On January 5, 1978, Anderson Cooper's father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, died at the age of 50.

July 22, 1988: Brother's Suicide

On July 22, 1988, Anderson Cooper's older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, died by suicide at age 23.

1989: Graduation from Yale

In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began traveling the world.

1992: Filming Stories

In 1992, Anderson Cooper filmed stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda.

1994: Desensitization Realization

In 1994, after reporting from war-torn areas, 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 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: Joined CNN

In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°.

2002: 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: Award-winning Tsunami Coverage

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: Added as Co-Anchor to NewsNight

In September 2005, Anderson Cooper was temporarily added as co-anchor to Aaron Brown on CNN's NewsNight.

November 2, 2005: Programming Shakeup

On November 2, 2005, CNN announced a major programming shakeup, expanding Anderson Cooper's 360° program to two hours and shifting it into the 10:00 pm ET slot.

2005: Hurricane Katrina Coverage

In 2005, Anderson Cooper covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and confronted officials about the government response, gaining recognition for his impassioned reporting.

May 2006: Published Memoir

In May 2006, Anderson Cooper published a memoir, Dispatches from the Edge, detailing his life and work.

June 18, 2006: Book 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: Hosted CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute

In 2007, Anderson Cooper began hosting CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, a show about extraordinary deeds by ordinary people.

2007: Fill-in Co-Host

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, doubling his salary and allowing him to continue as a contributor to 60 Minutes.

2007: Correspondent for 60 Minutes

Since 2007, Anderson Cooper has been a correspondent for the CBS News program 60 Minutes, while also working at CNN.

December 2008: Planet in Peril: Battle Lines Premiered

In December 2008, Cooper, Gupta, and Lisa Ling teamed up for Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, which premiered.

September 2010: Agreement to Host Talk Show

In September 2010, it was announced that Anderson Cooper had signed an agreement to host a nationally syndicated talk show named Anderson.

2010: Haiti Earthquake Coverage Award

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: Premiere of Anderson Live

On September 12, 2011, Anderson Cooper's talk show, Anderson Live, premiered.

September 2011: Host of Anderson Live

From September 2011, Anderson Cooper served as the host of his own syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live.

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.

2011: Edward Murrow Award

In 2011, Anderson Cooper won an Edward Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club.

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 publicly acknowledged being gay, confirming his status as a prominent openly gay journalist on American television.

October 29, 2012: End of Anderson Live Announced

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: End of Anderson Live

In May 2013, Anderson Cooper's syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live, ended.

May 30, 2013: Final Anderson Live Aired

On May 30, 2013, the final Anderson Live aired.

2014: Purchase of Rye House

In 2014, Anderson Cooper and his 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 about an ancestor who was a slave owner.

2014: Advice to Tim Cook

In 2014, Tim Cook sought Cooper's advice before publicly coming out as gay.

March 2015: AC2 Tour

In March 2015, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper began their conversational stage show tour, AC2, opening in Boston.

2016: Cooper's Political Affiliation

As of 2016, Anderson Cooper was not registered with any political party.

2016: Moderated Presidential Debate

In 2016, Anderson Cooper became the first LGBT person to moderate a presidential debate.

2017: Co-Authored Book with Mother

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: Joined CNN's New Year's Eve Coverage

In 2017, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.

March 2018: Split From Partner

In March 2018, Anderson Cooper confirmed that he and Benjamin Maisani had split up.

June 8, 2018: Tribute to Anthony Bourdain

After Anthony Bourdain's death 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 show featuring Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper has toured to over fifty cities.

2018: Co-hosted 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

As of 2019, Anderson Cooper still periodically serves as guest co-host on Live when one of the two hosts cannot go in to work.

2019: Co-hosted 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: Announcement of Son's Birth

On April 30, 2020, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, who was born via surrogate on April 27. Cooper made the announcement at the end of a CNN Town Hall on his show, Anderson Cooper 360°.

2020: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve

In 2020, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.

2020: Full Circle Tribute to Bourdain

In 2020, on the Thanksgiving episode of Anderson Cooper Full Circle, Cooper paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain.

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-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve

In 2021, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.

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", which is a historical book about the Vanderbilt family.

February 10, 2022: Announcement of Second Son's Birth

On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced on his CNN show that he had become a father for a second time to a son named Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper.

2022: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve

In 2022, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.

2022: Podcast Launch Exploring Grief and Loss

In 2022, Anderson Cooper launched a podcast, deeply personal, exploring grief and loss. The podcast features interviews with notable people about their experiences with grief and was inspired by his own experiences.

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 and Andy Cohen co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.

2023: Webby Award Win for Best Series

In 2023, Anderson Cooper won a Webby Award for Best Series for "All There Is." His acceptance speech consisted of five words: "All There Is, Is Love."