Anderson Cooper proudly declares being gay as ‘one of the greatest blessings’ of his life
Anderson Cooper (Nicholas Hunt/Getty)
CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper has said that being gay is “one of the great blessings” of his life.
The journalist – who came out publicly in 2012 – made the comments during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 14.
Cooper spoke about his decision to come out publicly eight years ago, noting that he had been out to friends, family and colleagues for many years before.
“I hadn’t made a statement about it,” Cooper said.
“I never said I wasn’t gay or tried to hide it or pretend that [I was] anything else. I just… didn’t want to talk about it,” Cooper explained.
Anderson Cooper said his son and his sexuality are the ‘great blessings’ of his life.
“But it got to a point in my life where… by not saying something, that seemed like I was indicating that I was somehow ashamed of something or not happy being gay.
“And the complete opposite has always been the case.”
He continued: “I consider it, along with [my son] Wyatt, one of the great blessings of my life to be gay.
“So, even though I’m kind of painfully shy, an introvert and stuff, I thought, ‘OK, well, I want to say something.’ And so I did, and I couldn’t be happier.”
He also said that coming out “does matter, and it does make a difference”.
I consider it, along with [my son] Wyatt, one of the great blessings of my life to be gay.
“I think it’s important for me to have said the word gay, that I am gay, and I’m proud of it. It’s fantastic.
He also praised DeGeneres for coming out publicly in the 1990s – a decision that led to her show being axed – saying he was “so proud” of her.
“I wish I had done it sooner,” Cooper said.
The CNN anchor recently became a dad for the first time.
“It’s made things more difficult where I work and where I travel. I travel to a lot of countries where it’s illegal and they kill people because of it, or jail them, so that’s something I have to take into consideration, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
The interview comes just two weeks after Cooper revealed that he had become a father for the first time.
In a broadcast on Anderson Cooper 360°, the news anchor shared the happy news that his baby son was born at the start of the week.
“I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father,” he said.
Smiling, he added: “I’ve never actually said that out loud and it still kind of astonishes me.
“I’m a dad. I have a son and I want you to meet him.”
He shared a photo of his son, Wyatt, named after his father who died when Cooper was just 10
