The Best of Anderson Cooper

"The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy,..."

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:07:00 -0700

“The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.”

- Anderson Cooper in an email to Andrew Sullivan (Anderson gave Andrew permission to post the email, which you can read in its entirety on The Dish). (via newsweek)

Anderson answers the question that everyone has been wondering...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:53:00 -0700

Anderson answers the question that everyone has been wondering about — “Are you leaving CNN?” (in short, no.)

Also, check out the new daytime show’s official YouTube page!

Well, hello there.

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:56:33 -0700

Well, hello there.

hellyesandersoncooper: oh anderson, love you LOL HIS FACE, I...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:11:07 -0700

hellyesandersoncooper:

oh anderson, love you

LOL HIS FACE, I CAN’T

That’s right folks, Jon Stewart has landed himself a spot...

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:15:38 -0700

That’s right folks, Jon Stewart has landed himself a spot on the Ridiculist!

And I’m just posting this one because he looks like one...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:07:19 -0700

And I’m just posting this one because he looks like one suave GQMF.

Anderson at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards! More photos here.

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:05:56 -0700

Anderson at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards!

More photos here.

In case you missed it (or if you want to watch it over and over...

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:13:00 -0700

In case you missed it (or if you want to watch it over and over again, which I will be doing), here is the video from last night’s AC360 when they surprised him with a birthday celebration!

Complete with a puppy on a pony (“this is like an acid trip or something”), a circus performer balancing a dinner plate, Isha Sesay bringing out a cake made of Beard Papa’s cream puffs (Anderson claims it’s one of his favorites) and of course, Anderson getting embarrassed and perplexed over everyone giving him the attention he totally deserves on this special day.

Look at this fine man showing off his glasses. LOOK AT HIM.

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:06:00 -0700

Look at this fine man showing off his glasses. LOOK AT HIM.

Anderson talking to his staff during a taping of his new...

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:04:00 -0700

Anderson talking to his staff during a taping of his new show.

(look at all the blue… it’s mesmerizing…)

Anderson answering questions at a Q&A on his new show!

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:02:49 -0700

Anderson answering questions at a Q&A on his new show!

The staff at AC360 successfully pulled off their birthday...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:17:00 -0700

The staff at AC360 successfully pulled off their birthday surprise for Anderson!

So… this just happened on AC360. Yes, that’s a puppy...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:59:00 -0700

So… this just happened on AC360. Yes, that’s a puppy sitting on top of a pony. I’m sure hilarious video will be uploaded later tonight, stay tuned!

“I’m not trying to replace Oprah, she’s irreplaceable,” says ...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:21:00 -0700

“I’m not trying to replace Oprah, she’s irreplaceable,” says Anderson Cooper, when asked if he’s trying to fill Winfrey’s very sizable TV shoes with the launch of Anderson, his new daytime talk show. “She’s still going to be on television, and a bigger presence than people realize.”

Cooper, who turns 44 Thursday, seems poised to become the Ryan Seacrest of news. In addition to his show on CNN and his segments for 60 Minutes, Cooper’s premiering a new talk show this fall on CTV that he says will combine elements of Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Phil Donahue.

“For some people, the news doesn’t connect with their daily lives, but on daytime television, you can connect with an audience in an emotional way,” says Cooper, the Yale-educated son of Gloria Vanderbilt and writer Wyatt Emory Cooper, who covered the war in Burma with a forged press pass when he couldn’t land a journalism job after school. “If Walter Cronkite was on TV today, I think he’d also have a sailing show on the Travel Network.”

The afternoon talk show, which will be filmed in Manhattan, will be a mixture of pop culture guests and the heartwarming stories of everyday people. It’s a populist approach, says Cooper, that he hopes will leave his audience inspired.

“I find it rewarding doing CNN and 60 Minutes, but it’s nice to exercise different muscles,” says Cooper, who was recently in the news when his team was attacked during the Egyptian revolt. “I watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Atlanta as much as anyone else, and I don’t think that makes me any less credible because I care about Syria, as well.”

This won’t be Cooper’s first trip away from the news desk. In 2000, while working as a reporter on 20/20, he began to feel burnt-out from the job.

“I was outside a strip club at 3 a.m. with Brandi and Tiffany protesting a lap dance ordinance and thought, ‘What is the difference between this and a reality show?’ ” asks Cooper, who left the program to host The Mole, an early reality-TV show. “Then 9/11 happened, and on 9/12, I got a call from CNN asking if I would go to Afghanistan – things had changed and I had to get back into news.”

Cooper says he’ll be able to leave his talk show at a moment’s notice to cover breaking stories, (he hadn’t seen Winfrey’s last episode because he was in Missouri covering the tornado), but that newscasters and entertainment personalities no longer have to be from Venus or Mars.

“Viewers know that the person on the news is just pretending to be all-knowing and that person blow-drys their hair and is overpaid and wearing makeup,” Cooper says. “It’s very easy to become a cheesy TV personality and I think I’ve been able to resist it so far and I certainly don’t want to become a cheesy person now.”

A personal video message from Anderson thanking all of us for...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:04:23 -0700

A personal video message from Anderson thanking all of us for the birthday wishes!

The staff at AC360 wish Anderson a very Happy Birthday!!!

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:06:12 -0700

The staff at AC360 wish Anderson a very Happy Birthday!!!

A new photo from ‘Anderson’! Anderson recently...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:04:02 -0700

A new photo from ‘Anderson’!

Anderson recently spent a day in his new studio (home to the show) shooting with a live studio audience. Here he’s introduced to the audience for the first time.

From the AC360 twitter: Stage one of @andersoncooper’s...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:28:00 -0700

From the AC360 twitter:

Stage one of @andersoncooper’s birthday bonanza - @sprinkles cupcakes! What else do we have up our sleeves?

how many followers do you have?

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:53:22 -0700

If you get off anon, maybe I’d tell you… ;)

And I believe this was for his 42nd birthday. Erica Hill is at...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:04:06 -0700

And I believe this was for his 42nd birthday. Erica Hill is at it again, surprising Anderson with two special guests with a birthday cake!