Anderson Cooper and his ex-boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, are co-parenting two children who live with the journalist. Cooper lives with his children in the fire station he converted into a home.
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his second child on the "Anderson Cooper 360" program. The CNN anchor shares the boy with his former longtime partner and best friend, Benjamin Maisani.
The duo are also parents to their first son, whom they had welcomed two years prior. Benjamin is a businessman who decided to open his "Eastern Bloc" bar after working at one, and he built relationships with celebrities at his establishment.
Anderson Cooper at the AOL Build Speaker Series to discuss "Nothing Left Unsaid" in New York on April 15, 2016. | Source: Getty Images
While it's unclear if Anderson used to visit the bar, his friend Andy Cohen was reportedly a frequent customer there. Benjamin and Anderson, who had been together for years, welcomed their second child in 2022. In his announcement about his new son, Anderson introduced him by stating:
"This is Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. He was 6.8 pounds at birth, and he's healthy and happy, even his occasional hiccups are to me adorable. He mostly just sleeps, and eats and poops, but he already seems like a wise and thoughtful little champ."
The co-parent also took the time to thank the nurses and doctors who helped bring the little boy into the world. Anderson also showed gratitude to the surrogate who carried his second son.
He thanked the woman and her family for their sacrifices and the love they gave Sebastian over the past year. It wasn't the first time the television personality announced the birth of his children on air.
After welcoming his first son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, Anderson took to CNN to reveal he had become a father. On February 25, 2022, Anderson was interviewed on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," where he updated viewers about how Wyatt was bonding with Sebastian, saying:
"They seem to be getting along really well. I mean, 'Getting along well' — Sebastian sleeps. He can't say Sebastian yet, he calls him Luke. So every morning he wants to go say 'Good morning, Luke.'"
After Sebastian's birth, Anderson took three weeks off to be with his newborn son by taking paternity leave. Speaking with Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa before taking the break, he shared how he was enjoying the time with his boys, noting:
"It's great to be able to come home and decompress."
The father of two also revealed his nightly bonding routine with Wyatt, saying, "And every night to be able to feed Wyatt and give him his milk, he falls asleep on my chest, and there's nothing better."
Anderson and the boys also have a morning routine. They go to the diner every morning, and Wyatt and Sebastian love to take a swim. The proud parent enjoys preparing his sons for their afternoon nap by sitting and reading to them until they fall asleep in his arms.
Wyatt and Sebastian also play well together and even use some of their famous dad's old toys — that he used to play with his brother. Anderson said seeing her sons' relationship with each other is "incredible" to witness.
Benjamin, a property and nightclub owner, started co-parenting with Anderson when Wyatt was born. The news anchor explained that he would co-parent with his ex even though they weren't dating anymore, adding, "We're a family."
He revealed in an interview that their co-parenting relationship is effortless. When he goes to work at night, Benjamin looks after the kids. They both wake up right before the boys do, get them their milk, and then spend the first few hours of the day with them. According to Anderson, Benjamin speaks French with their sons.
Anderson clarified that he and Benjamin would bring up little Sebastian, saying, "We're co-parents. We're a family." Benjamin was already legally adopting their first child, who calls him "papa."
The older boy gave the television personality the title of "daddy." When the adoption is finalized, Wyatt's last name will be changed to incorporate both parents, Maisani-Cooper, like Sebastian's.
In a September 2023 interview, the 56-year-old famed broadcaster gushed about being a father, saying, "This is the best time in my life. There is no doubt about it."
Benjamin Maisani and Anderson Cooper at Elton John AIDS Foundation's 14th Annual An Enduring Vision Benefit on November 2, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Anderson's Relationship & Co-parenting with Benjamin Maisani
Anderson and Benjamin started seeing each other in 2009, went public with the relationship in 2015, and revealed they'd broken up in 2018. The couple might not be in a relationship anymore, but they were so well bonded that the star announced:
"Maisani is going to be a co-parent to Wyatt even though we're not together anymore. He's my family, and I want him to be Wyatt's family as well."
In September 2021, Anderson got candid about the strange co-parenting arrangement between him and his ex. He confessed that it worked for them and Wyatt, noting:
"It's probably an unusual setup, but I knew he would be a great dad, and he is. We're exes, but we're family to each other, and we love each other as family and as co-parents."
The author regularly shares updates on his older son and once revealed his frustration when he missed Wyatt's first steps. However, Benjamin rarely updates but once said his ex changed when Wyatt was born, and Anderson explained their co-parenting arrangement, stating:
"I've always believed that if you've been with somebody and that ends, in terms of an intimate relationship, if you love somebody, there's no reason why that love shouldn't continue."
Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisani at Kathy Griffin's Carnegie Hall Performance official afterparty on November 8, 2013, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
In February 2021, during a "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" interview, Anderson confessed to host Ellen DeGeneres that he and Benjamin once wanted different things to start a family. The star elaborated:
"It's interesting, because he wasn't really sure he wanted to have a kid—which is one of the reasons we probably broke up—but then, he came around to the idea. Now he is such a great parent."
Inside Anderson's Firehouse, Where He Lives with His Kids
On June 9, 2020, Anderson gave People a tour of the home that he converted from a fire station. Viewers saw his first son's nursery, with its central theme, blue, featuring throughout the space.
Anderson Cooper shows off the changing area in the nursery | Source: YouTube/PeopleTV
The nursery was still in progress, and some photos hadn't been hung up. One painting, done by Anderson's late mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, of herself and the star's late father, whom Wyatt was named after, was featured on one side of the room.
Kevin Hart and David Beckham shooting an H&M advert in Anderson Cooper's West Village home uploaded on September 28, 2015. | Source: Facebook/Kevin Hart
Another image showed Anderson's handprint when he was a child. One corner of the room had lots of stuffed animals that once belonged to the doting dad, while the blue wallpaper had a beetle design, and a paper mache cupid was hung up above the baby's white crib.
Anderson Cooper showing off a paper mache cupid in his son's nursery | Source: YouTube/PeopleTV
Anderson explained that he wanted all the items in his son's room to have personal history and significance. A changing area and a picture of Benjamin and his sister, when they were younger, were added to the room.
Anderson bought the 8,240 square feet Greenwich Village, New York firehouse in September 2010 for $4.3 million. It had its original brass fire poles, dry hoses, spiral staircases, and walls with murals showing off the fire station's history.
In 2015, David Beckham and Kevin Hart shot an H&M campaign in Anderson's home.
In September 2018, the "60 Minutes" correspondent indirectly showed his house off to The Hollywood Reporter while spending three days with the publication. The star lived with Lilly, his Welsh springer spaniel, and he and Benjamin had broken up earlier that year.
Kevin Hart and David Beckham shooting an H&M advert in Anderson Cooper's West Village home uploaded on September 28, 2015. | Source: Facebook/Kevin Hart
Anderson spent years restoring it and installing an elevator. At the same time, the second floor has a salon with taxidermy and Old Master paintings, plus hand-painted signs that he collected during trips to Cuba and Africa.
The West Village home has a kitchen island, and the living room features a side table adorned with a Victorian calendar that he found in his mother's bedroom. It has the date July 22, 1988, which is the day his brother, Carter Cooper, died by suicide at 23 in their mom's apartment.
Gloria relocated several times after her son died and took the calendar with her. Anderson once explained that he did not want to let go of everything after he got rid of her apartment following her death.
Including his great-great-grandfather's Civil War commissioning notice, the star's personal artifacts are also featured in the home. A photo by his late friend, Tim Hetherington, shows a younger Anderson in Afghanistan.
Kevin Hart and David Beckham shooting an H&M advert in Anderson Cooper's West Village home uploaded on September 28, 2015. | Source: Facebook/Kevin Hart
Anderson lost his mom in 2019 at 95. Long before her death, he had also lost his brother a decade after their dad died from a heart attack in 1978. After avoiding the grieving process for many years, he finally decided to face it head-on.
He did so on his podcast, "All There Is With Anderson Cooper," and interviewed actress Molly Shannon, who opened up about her grief. "It has certainly made me feel less alone," Anderson said of his podcast.
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