Anderson Cooper is co-parenting baby Wyatt with a former partner

Anderson Cooper continues to radiate happiness as he discusses being a new dad.

The CNN anchor stopped by “The Late Show” on Monday night, where host Stephen Colbert thanked him for “giving all of us something joyful to see” during these somber times as the world is still reeling from the coronavirus crisis. Cooper announced the birth of his child, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, last week.

During the interview Cooper shared that he is co-parenting his son with his ex Benjamin Maisani as he reflected on being present for Wyatt’s birth less than a year after being with his mother, fashion entrepreneur Gloria Vanderbilt, as she died.

“My mom died in June, so it hasn’t even been a full year,” said Cooper. “To have experienced the loss of her life and to have been there with her when she breathed her last breath and to witness that and to be holding her at that time, and then to suddenly ... be in a delivery room with this amazing surrogate and her husband and my former partner Benjamin ... and to see a new human being come into existence, which I’d never seen in person before, it was just extraordinary.”

Entertainment & Arts

Anderson Cooper told his mom before she died that he planned to have a baby

CNN’s Anderson Cooper says his mother, the late fashion entrepreneur Gloria Vanderbilt, was “thrilled” to learn he intended to become a father.

May 4, 2020

Cooper clarified that although they will be co-parenting, he and Maisani are not back together.

“But he’s my family and I want him to be Wyatt’s family as well,” explained Cooper. News of the couple’s split surfaced in 2018 after they had been together for three years.

Cooper also told Colbert his friend and TV host Andy Cohen has been a big help during this time. Cohen’s son, Benjamin, was born last year.

“He’s actually really helped me because my son is entirely wearing hand-me-downs from Andy Cohen’s son,” said Cooper.

Cooper explained initially he planned on going shopping — something he hates to do — but because of the pandemic was considering looking for baby clothes online. But “it just seemed weird. So, he just gave me all the clothes,” he said.

Hand-me-down baby clothes is not the only thing Wyatt has inherited from his future pal. Cohen explained on his SiriusXM show on Monday that his son’s former nanny is now Wyatt’s nanny.