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. Before his roles at CNN and CBS, Cooper honed his skills as a war correspondent for Channel One News and later worked at ABC News in various capacities. He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts. Cooper's career highlights his dedication to news reporting and commentary.
1950: Half-Brother Leopold Born
In 1950, one of Anderson Cooper's older half-brothers, Leopold Stanislaus "Stan" Stokowski, was born.
1952: Half-Brother Christopher Born
In 1952, one of Anderson Cooper's older half-brothers, 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 who anchors Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN.
September 17, 1970: Guest on The Tonight Show
On September 17, 1970, at the age of three, Anderson Cooper appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with his mother.
January 5, 1978: Death of Wyatt 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: Carter Vanderbilt Cooper's Suicide
On July 22, 1988, Anderson Cooper's older brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, committed suicide at the age of 23 by jumping from the 14th-floor terrace of Vanderbilt's New York City penthouse apartment.
1989: Graduated from Yale
In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and then began traveling the world, shooting footage of war-torn regions for Channel One News.
1989: Graduation from Yale University
In 1989, Anderson Cooper graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
1992: Filmed Stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda
In 1992, Anderson Cooper filmed stories from Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda, documenting life and culture in these regions for Channel One.
1994: Desensitization to Violence
In 1994, after reporting from war-torn regions for a couple of years, Anderson Cooper realized he had slowly become desensitized to the violence he was witnessing around him.
1995: Became a Correspondent for ABC News
In 1995, Anderson Cooper became a correspondent for ABC News, marking a transition in his journalism career.
1995: Hired by ABC News
In 1995, Anderson Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent, marking a significant step in his journalism career.
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 program, World News Now.
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 and Started Anderson Cooper 360°
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN and was given his own show, Anderson Cooper 360°, which he has hosted since.
2001: Joined CNN
In 2001, Anderson Cooper joined CNN, commenting that he needed to get back to news after 9/11. His first position at CNN was to anchor alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning.
2002: CNN Weekend Prime-Time Anchor
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: Coverage of 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: NewsNight Format Change
In September 2005, CNN's NewsNight format was changed to 120 minutes, and Anderson Cooper was temporarily added as co-anchor to Aaron Brown.
November 2, 2005: Programming Shakeup on CNN
On November 2, 2005, CNN announced a major programming shakeup, expanding Cooper's 360° program to two hours and shifting it into the 10:00 pm ET slot formerly held by NewsNight. Aaron Brown left CNN.
2005: Hurricane Katrina Coverage
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 the government response.
May 2006: Published Dispatches from the Edge
In May 2006, Anderson Cooper published a memoir titled Dispatches from the Edge, detailing his life and work in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq, and Louisiana.
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 served as a fill-in co-host for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly while Philbin underwent heart surgery.
2007: Signed Multi-Year Deal with CNN
In early 2007, Anderson Cooper signed a multi-year deal with CNN that would allow him to continue as a contributor to 60 Minutes, doubling his salary from $2 million to a reported $4 million annually.
December 2008: Hosted Planet in Peril: Battle Lines
In December 2008, Anderson Cooper, Sanjay Gupta, and Lisa Ling teamed up for a sequel to Planet in Peril, titled Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, which premiered on CNN.
2008: Cooper reveals dyslexia
In 2008, Anderson Cooper disclosed to Oprah Winfrey that he had dyslexia as a child.
September 2010: Announced New Talk Show
In September 2010, Warner Bros. and Telepictures announced that Anderson Cooper had signed an agreement to host a nationally syndicated talk show, initially named Anderson.
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: Anderson Live Premiered
On September 12, 2011, Anderson Live premiered as Anderson Cooper's nationally syndicated talk show.
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 Broadway Revival
In 2011, Anderson Cooper was the narrator for the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which was directed by Rob Ashford and starred 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 publicly acknowledged being gay, after years of avoiding discussing his private life.
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: 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 Cooper's syndicated television daytime talk show, Anderson Live, ended.
May 30, 2013: Final Anderson Live Aired
On May 30, 2013, the final episode of 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 of an ancestor, Burwell Boykin, who was a slave owner from the southern United States.
2014: Advice to 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, starting in Boston.
2016: Cooper's political affiliation
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.
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
In 2017, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage, succeeding Kathy Griffin.
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 50 Cities
As of October 2018, the AC2 two-man show, featuring Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, had toured in more than fifty cities.
2018: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2018, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
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 cannot go in to work.
2019: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2019, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of 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 on April 27 via surrogate. He shared the news on CNN and Instagram.
2020: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2020, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
2020: Thanksgiving tribute to Anthony Bourdain
On Thanksgiving 2020, Anderson Cooper paid tribute to Anthony Bourdain on Anderson Cooper Full Circle, expressing his pride in their friendship and noting how much Bourdain was missed.
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
In 2021, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
February 10, 2022: Announcement of second son's birth
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his second son, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper, on CNN. He also shared that Benjamin Maisani is adopting Wyatt, after which Wyatt's surname will become Maisani-Cooper.
2022: Launch of podcast exploring grief and loss
In 2022, Anderson Cooper launched a podcast exploring grief and loss, interviewing notable people like Stephen Colbert, Laurie Anderson, and Molly Shannon about their experiences with grief. This podcast was inspired by the loss of his father, brother, and mother.
2022: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2022, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
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: Webby Award for Best Series
In 2023, Anderson Cooper won a Webby Award for Best Series for "All There Is". His acceptance speech was "All There Is, Is Love."
2023: Co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve
In 2023, Andy Cohen joined Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage.
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