Anderson Cooper Is a Grateful New Dad: ‘As a Gay Kid, I Never Thought It Would Be Possible’

Julie Sprankles
·4 min read

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A dream Anderson Cooper once thought could never come to pass has been realized. On Thursday night, Anderson Cooper announced he welcomed a baby via surrogate — a son named his Wyatt Morgan Cooper. Anderson broke the big news about this little boy on his show Anderson Cooper 360 and followed it up with a truly heartwarming Instagram post about the personal significance, as a gay man, of becoming a father.

Anderson began his announcement by explaining the reason he chose the moniker he did. “ I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son’s middle name is Morgan. It’s a family name on my mom’s side. I know my mom and dad liked the name Morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me,” Anderson captioned a series of photos on Instagram. “Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy.”

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Anderson continued, touching on the poignance of this moment. “As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son’s birth.”

View this post on Instagram

I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son's middle name is Morgan. It's a family name on my mom's side. I know my mom and dad liked the name morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me. Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy. As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son's birth. Most of all, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him. It is an extraordinary blessing – what she, and all surrogates give to families who cant have children. 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 I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him. 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.

A post shared by andersoncooper (@andersoncooper) on Apr 30, 2020 at 6:51pm PDT

The proud new papa also gave a special shout-out to the woman who ultimately made becoming a father possible for him. “Most of all, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him. It is an extraordinary blessing — what she, and all surrogates, give to families who can’t have children.”

But Anderson also admitted it’s a bittersweet chapter. Both his mother and father have passed away, and he lost his brother Carter to suicide in 1988. So, understandably, he wishes they were here to see him become a father. However, he believes they are looking down on him — “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.”

We’re not crying, you… oh, who are we kidding? It’s definitely us. We’re crying. Congratulations on your sweet new addition, Anderson!

Before you go, see which other stars will be welcoming babies in 2020.

Launch Gallery: Richard Gere and Wife Alejandra Silva — Plus 18 Other Stars Who Had Babies in 2020

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