The Real Reason Anderson Cooper Is Raising Baby Wyatt With His Ex

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced he'd become a father to son Wyatt Morgan Cooper on-air during his April 30, 2020 broadcast, but the silver fox took to The Howard Stern Show to confirm that he and ex-boyfriend Benjamin Maisani plan to co-parent the newborn. "I don't really have a family, and so my friends become my family," Cooper told host Howard Stern. "This is somebody I was involved with for 10 years. He's a great guy."

"When I was a little kid, it was just my mom and my brother..." Cooper added. "She was not the most parental person, and I wish some adult after my dad died had stepped in and just been like, 'You know what, I'll take you to a ball game.' Or, 'Let's go out to lunch every now and then, and let's just talk.' You know, no one ever did that and so I thought, well if something happens to me or even if something doesn't happen to me, if more people love my son and are in his life, I'm all for that."

Cooper also revealed that Wyatt will call him "Dad" and "Daddy," while Maisani, who speaks to the baby in French, will go by "Papa." Cooper even joked that he had no idea what Maisani was saying to their child. "He could be turning the kid against me, I don't know." 

We have no doubt that these gentlemen are already on the right track!

To say Anderson Cooper was ecstatic to welcome son Wyatt — who was named after Cooper's late father — into this world via surrogate would be an understatement. "It has been a difficult time in all of our lives, and there are certainly many hard days ahead," Cooper said (via CNN). "It is, I think, especially important in these times of trouble to try to hold on to moments of joy and moments of happiness. Even as we mourn the loss of loved ones, we are also blessed with new life and new love."

As a gay child, Cooper never thought he'd ever have a child, but thanks to the "remarkable" surrogate who carried Wyatt, Cooper can now call himself a father for the first time. "It is an extraordinary blessing — what she, and all surrogates give to families who can't have children," he wrote on Instagram. "My surrogate has a beautiful family of her own, a wonderfully supportive husband, and kids, and I am incredibly thankful for all the support they have given Wyatt and me. My family is blessed to have this family in our lives."

Even so, Cooper wishes his parents and his brother, Carter, were still alive to meet Wyatt. "I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues," Anderson said.

During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Anderson Cooper explained that he had no plans to take paternity leave following son Wyatt's birth because continuing to cover the coronavirus is important to the CNN broadcast journalist. "This is not some story, this is life and death," Cooper told host Stephen Colbert while discussing the network's COVID-19 coverage. "This is as serious as it gets. It's more important than ever before that things be true and accurate. That's one of the reasons why I'm not taking time off."

"Thankfully, I can do some work from home and stuff, but I feel like this is an extraordinary time to be in this business as a reporter and to be able to try to help inform people..." Cooper added. "Right now, facts and science, to give people the truth, is the difference between life and death."

Thankfully, Cooper has a strong support system to help him achieve work-life balance as he juggles fatherhood and the coronavirus outbreak. After all, not only does he have co-parent Benjamin Maisani in his corner, but he also has help from the former nanny of his pal Andy Cohen (pictured right). "We had long planned this transition, but I certainly didn't expect it to happen during a quarantine," Bravo host Cohen explained (per Entertainment Tonight). "She is now with Anderson and I know she's going to get Wyatt on a great sleep schedule just like she got Ben. I'm so happy for Anderson."

Anderson Cooper's fans have speculated if he and his ex-boyfriend, nightclub mogul Benjamin Maisani, might reunite — especially after the former couple revealed their co-parenting strategy. According to one source, the CNN host and his former flame allegedly rekindled their romance prior to Wyatt's birth.

"Anderson has reconciled with Ben. They very quietly got back together and are planning ahead. Ben is selling one of his clubs and cutting back on how much he does at night so he can spend more time at home with Anderson and the baby," the insider told Us Weekly. "Very, very few people knew. He didn't tell his team at CNN until just before the show... Only a select few of his closest A-list pals — including Kelly Ripa and Andy Cohen — were sworn to secrecy."

However, multiple sources told Entertainment Tonight that, although Cooper and Maisani have remained friendly over the years, they're not dating again. When they split in March 2018, Cooper told People they "are still family to each other, and love each other very much" and they "remain the best of friends, and will continue to share much of our lives together." 

Regardless of their relationship status, we wish Cooper and Maisani nothing but the best as they experience the joys of fatherhood together with baby Wyatt.