Anderson Cooper has become one of television’s most recognizable journalists through his longtime work at CNN, his nearly two decades on CBS’ 60 Minutes and his annual New Year’s Eve special with Andy Cohen. While Cooper recently signed off from 60 Minutes in May 2026, he continues to balance his busy television career with life as a father to his two sons, Wyatt and Sebastian.
When announcing his departure from 60 Minutes, Cooper explained that fatherhood played a major role in the decision. “For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me,” he said in a February 2026 statement.
The CNN anchor welcomed both children via surrogate and co-parents them with his former partner Benjamin Maisani, whom he has described as his “best friend.” Over the years, Cooper has frequently opened up about how becoming a father changed his life. Learn more about Anderson’s two sons below.
The proud father welcomed his eldest son, Wyatt Morgan Maisani-Cooper, via surrogate in April 2020. He took to Instagram at the time to announce the exciting news with an emotional post. “I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten,” Anderson penned in the caption of the photos of his newborn.
He celebrated his son’s third birthday with a tribute post on April 27, 2023. “This little peanut turned 3 today! Wyatt Morgan Maisani-Cooper. He and his brother Sebastian are the greatest blessings I could ever have hoped for,” he captioned the carousel of photos of the birthday boy. In the last slide of the post, Anderson even included a family photo with his two kids and his ex, Benjamin.
