CNN presenter and famous silver fox Anderson Cooper is officially a father. Cooper announced the birth of his son live on air during his regular news slot on April 30, 2024, revealing that the newborn’s name was Wyatt.
Cooper, who publicly came out as gay in 2012, according to the Los Angeles Times, told viewers that the occasion was made all the more momentous by the fact that, as someone who grew up in a time when even coming out of the closet was almost Inconceivable, being able to have children and raise a family as someone proud was beyond her wildest dreams.
“As a gay boy, I never thought it would be possible to have a child,” the CNN host told viewers. He continued, “I am very grateful to everyone who paved the way, and to the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in the birth of my son.”
While Cooper’s glee at the birth of his son was evident, the announcement was also bittersweet. The name “Wyatt” is imbued with Cooper’s legacy as a member of the Vanderbilt family and, ultimately, an encapsulation of Cooper’s family history and personal tragedies.
Anderson Cooper’s son’s name has a deeper meaning
Mike Coppola / Getty ImagesAs Anderson Cooper later revealed in an Instagram post, which features the journalist holding Wyatt, his celebration for the birth of his son was not without pain. Even the newborn’s full name, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, is a nod to the deep sense of loss Cooper has experienced over the years in light of the deaths of those closest to him.
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“[Wyatt] is named after my father, who died when I was ten years old,” wrote the newscaster in a candid caption, a word-for-word transcript of the announcement he aired. Cooper’s own father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, “died of heart disease” when Cooper was 10, by The New York Times. Cooper himself reflected on how the loss affected his life and education in a tribute he wrote for the New York Times in 2016.
“If I could see my father one more time, sit down and talk to him, look into his crystal blue eyes, feel the security of his arms around me, I would give anything for that,” Cooper wrote at the time.
“Does the man I have become approved of?” Cooper continued. “I would tell him about the choices I have had to make, the fears and difficulties I have struggled to overcome. What would you have done if it had been me?”
Wyatt’s first name is a fitting tribute to his long-dead grandfather, but it is not the only tribute Cooper paid to members of his late and extended family.
Anderson Cooper’s son’s name is also a tribute to mother Gloria Vanderbilt
According to Anderson Cooper’s Instagram post, Wyatt’s middle name is a tribute to his mother, famed socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, who died in 2019 at the age of 95. “My son’s middle name is Morgan,” Cooper shared with his followers. “It is my mother’s last name.”
Cooper, who was close to his mother until his death, referred to Vanderbilt as his “star of the north” on his show, Anderson Cooper 360 °, at the time of his death, noting that “things seem much less bright and magical without it.”
The newscaster also revealed a double meaning for his son’s middle name: Not only was the name “Morgan” important in his family’s history, but Cooper discovered that it might have been his. “I know my mom and dad liked the name Morgan because I recently came across a list they made 52 years ago when trying to think of names for me,” Cooper revealed.
That said, the birth of Cooper’s son brought back memories of other family members he lost in addition to his parents.
Anderson Cooper memorized his family in the announcement of the birth of his son
Angela Weiss / Getty ImagesAnderson Cooper ended his personally written birth announcement for his son with the inclusion of a rarely discussed member of the Vanderbilt family: his late brother Carter Cooper, who died in 1988 after committing suicide.
“I wish my mother and father and brother Carter were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him,” Cooper shared with his followers. “I imagine them all together, holding each other, smiling, laughing, and looking at us, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt and that our family continues.”
Although Cooper rarely disputes the death of his older brother, the Anderson Cooper 360 ° host published a memorial on social media in July 2019, marking the 31st anniversary of Carter’s tragic departure, an anniversary that occurred only a month after the death of his mother.
Despite his countless losses, Cooper emphasized how grateful he is for his new fatherhood, even in these uncertain times. “I think it’s especially important in these difficult times to try to maintain moments of joy and moments of happiness,” Cooper said, adding that her newborn Wyatt “is sweet, soft and healthy. Cooper is more than happy”.
