Anderson Cooper became tearful talking about coping with grief over the deaths of his dad Wyatt Cooper and brother Carter Cooper on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Oct. 15.
Anderson Cooper is rediscovering joy after great loss.
The CNN anchor emotionally explained how his life changed upon losing his dad Wyatt Cooper—who died at age 50 of surgical complications in 1978 when Anderson was 10 years old—and older brother Carter Cooper, who died by suicide at 23 in 1988.
“I didn’t allow myself to grieve as a kid,” Anderson said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Oct. 15, “because I was so overwhelmed when my dad died when I was a kid, and then my brother died by suicide, that I shut down and I lived for 40 years without allowing myself to feel the pain of the grief.”
The 58-year-old—who hosts the grief and loss-themed podcast All There Is with Anderson Cooper—said that the “irony” was that by not allowing himself to feel the pain of it, he also didn’t allow himself to feel true joy. Because, as he explained, “you can’t have one without the other.”
“And it’s only now in the last two years—and my voice still shakes, which I’m sorry about,” Anderson—who also lost his mother Gloria Vanderbilt in 2019—continued, “it’s only in the last two years by feeling this grief and this sadness that I’ve been able to feel joy.”
The reason for his joy? His sons Wyatt, 5, and Sebastian, 3, whom he shares with he shares with ex Benjamin Maisani.
“I have a lot to feel joy about because I’ve got these two little boys who are just incredible,” Anderson said. “And one of them is backstage right now watching. And so it is the greatest gift.”
Anderson also noted that “you can still have a relationship with somebody who’s died.”
“I have a relationship with my dad that’s extraordinary and I know him better now than I ever knew him when he was alive, when I was a little kid,” he shared. “And I feel my dad. I feel him.”
For a closer look at Anderson’s relationship with his sons, keep reading…
The Big 0-3
“This little peanut turned 3 today!” Cooper wrote on Instagram in celebrating his eldest son’s third birthday April 27, 2023. “Wyatt Morgan Maisani-Cooper. He and his brother Sebastian are the greatest blessings I could ever have hoped for.”
Ship-Shape
No need for a compass, Sebastian looked to Wyatt to be his guide to opening Christmas presents in 2022.
A Sweet Treat for Wyatt
Just make sure that ice cream stays in the cone, buddy.
Lewk at Me
Cooper let the focus be on 4-month-old Sebastian in June 2022.
A Ringing Endorsement
We see Wyatt’s seal of approval and give this snap two thumbs-up.
Modern Family Photo
Cooper and Benjamin Maisani, his partner in coparenting, lean in for a group shot with 2-year-old Wyatt and 2-month-old Sebastian.
Baby No. 2
Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper was born in February 2022.
All smiles with Wyatt.
“Wyatt is 10 weeks old and doing great,” Anderson Cooper wrote on Instagram. “He likes naps and milk, bath time and being read to. Thank you for all your lovely cards and messages!”
Anderson Cooper feeds his newborn son.
Say cheese!
Baby Wyatt gets a kiss from his dad.
Baby Wyatt was born in April 2020.
Source: www.eonline.com