It took years for Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisani’s relationship to become public because of how secretive they were about it. 2009 marked the beginning of their relationship.
The Daily Mail reported in March 2018 that the couple was residing in Anderson’s firehouse home together. He later renovated the $4 million Manhattan, Greenwich Village residence.
Only in May 2015 did Anderson and Benjamin publicly acknowledge their relationship. The CNN news anchor shared a photo of Benjamin and himself from Instagram at the time, writing:
I suppose that after spending a lot of time with someone, you begin to pose similarly.
Anderson then began talking more about his relationship. He and his boyfriend were featured together for an Architectural Digest issue in August 2016 as a result.
The couple was displaying the remote house in a region of Brazil that they shared at the time. Benjamin discussed the media attention his relationship with Anderson was receiving with French Morning in 2014.
He also explained why they had tried so hard to keep it a secret for so long. The businessman claimed that while he didn’t share their feelings, he understood why others were so intrigued by their relationship.
Benjamin clarified that, unlike most people, he had not considered or wished to be a celebrity. He admitted that he had known from the start that disclosing the relationship ran the risk of the attention surrounding it becoming out of control.
After ten years of dating, Anderson and Benjamin announced their separation in March 2018, according to Anderson’s spokesperson. The CNN anchor reportedly provided the following justification for the split:
“Benjamin and I ended our relationship as boyfriends a while back. We still consider each other to be family and adore each other deeply.
Anderson said that he and his ex-boyfriend were still best friends and planned to live together in the future. One of the factors that led to their breakup was revealed by Ellen DeGeneres during an interview with her.
He mentioned Benjamin’s uncertainty regarding having children. However, Anderson pursued his dream of becoming a father and realized it at the age of 53 without waiting to have a new partner.
At the conclusion of his CNN segment in 2020, Anderson mentioned that Wyatt Morgan, his first child and son, had been born. He also revealed why the achievement was particularly important to him, saying:
I never imagined being able to have children as a gay child.
The celebrity expressed his appreciation for those who made it possible for him to follow his dream. He also expressed his gratitude to the nurses and medical professionals who assisted in welcoming his son.
The television personality also shared four new photos of his infant son on Instagram, the first of which shows him tenderly feeding Wyatt a bottle. He stated that the boy was only three days old at the time in the caption of the post.
He explained how his own father, who passed away when he was only ten years old, had the same first name as the child. His parents liked the second name, which was a family name from his mother Gloria Vanderbilt’s side.
At the time, Anderson claimed to have discovered a list of potential names his parents had made for him 52 years earlier. Wyatt the newborn was “sweet, and soft, and healthy,” weighing in at 7.2 lbs.
The journalist also expressed gratitude to the woman who carried his son, cared for him, and gave birth to the boy. He also expressed his gratitude to the surrogate’s family for their assistance both during and after the procedure.
In his final statement, Anderson said he wished his mother, father, and brother Carter were still around so they could meet his son. However, he made the decision to think that they could see his child and pictured them grinning and giggling while holding hands.
He was content knowing that their love would live on through him and Wyatt and their family. Anderson learned in August 2020 that Wyatt’s sleep pattern was unusual for a baby who was then only about four months old.
Each night, the newborn baby slept for 12 hours. The CNN host joked that he wasn’t sure what the nurse did to make the boy sleep so much, but she didn’t use whiskey or Ambien. He was being helped by a nurse.
Anderson had one requirement, despite the fact that he had help with the child’s care. The celebrity claimed he didn’t want to raise his child as a single parent.
Anderson gave an interview on “The Howard Stern Show” in May 2020 in which he discussed why he didn’t want to raise his child by himself. After his father passed away, the celebrity talked about how his mother, who raised him and his brother alone, wasn’t a very good parent.
He wished there had been another adult there to fill that void. Someone who occasionally suggested talking to him or offered to take him to lunch or a baseball game, the journalist continued:
So I reasoned, “Well if something happens to me, or even if nothing does, if more people love my son and are in his life, I’m all for that.
He mentioned how, if it were possible, he would prefer to have two parents. Ironically, despite their breakup, he and Benjamin continued to live together in their home because of how well they got along.
Anderson admitted that his relationship with the nightclub owner was “weird.” Although Benjamin had been reluctant to have children at first, he had changed his mind and was now an excellent co-parent to young Wyatt.
The former couple shared a residence in the renovated Greenwich Village firehouse Anderson purchased in 2009. The actor claimed that because Benjamin was French, Wyatt would likely refer to him as “Papa” rather than “Dad” or “Daddy”
The businessman conversed with the young child in his native tongue, and Anderson made light of the fact that he might not understand what he was saying and thus turn Wyatt against him. When asked if the ex-couple might reconcile, the journalist responded that it was unlikely.
In an interview with WSJ magazine in August 2020, Anderson discussed how becoming a father had caused him to reevaluate his life. He talked about how, despite being 53 at the time, he felt like he was still waiting for his real life to start.
The actor claimed that instead of concentrating on getting somewhere or having a story, Wyatt finally gave everything a sense of direction. It’s changed everything, the news anchor said.
Due to his night shift work, Anderson used to be a late riser as well, but since having Wyatt, he now gets up at seven in the morning. It was the most important moment of his day, and he wanted to be awake before his son did.
Benjamin Maisani and Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper, who was born 6.8 lbs. in weight, would also share parenting responsibilities.
When the young boy first saw him, he loved seeing him stretch and smile. On the fourth floor from the third, Anderson went to his son’s room and waited for him to make sounds informing the star that he was awake before entering to check on him.
The TV personality told People magazine in June 2020 that he would be open to growing his family in the future. But first he needed some time to get some more regular sleep and relax!
He believed that giving Wyatt a sister or brother would be wonderful. Then, in February 2022, Anderson revealed on “Anderson Cooper 360°” that he had adopted Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper as a second son via surrogate!
Benjamin and the newborn, who weighed 6.8 lbs. at birth, would share parenting responsibilities. The celebrity also disclosed that Wyatt was being adopted and that his last name would also change to Maisani-Cooper as a result.
However, after welcoming Wyatt in December 2020, Anderson acknowledged that he was “more exhausted than I’ve ever been.” He cried frequently when he saw his son, but he loved being a father and “wouldn’t change it for the world.”
