Anderson Cooper Recalls Mom Gloria Vanderbilt's 'Crazy' Offer To Be His Surrogate
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Anderson Cooper has been quite upfront and open about his family history and personal life of late. In a new interview, the news broadcaster shared how his mother, American socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, gave him an interesting offer around 15 or so years ago.
Speaking with Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, Cooper recalled his mother's "crazy" idea to be his surrogate in her efforts to help him have a child.
"This is like eight years before I decided to have a child," said Cooper. "But my mom really wanted me to have a kid, and she called me up one time and she was like, 'Honey, there's something I really need to talk to you about it."
Cooper remembered receiving calls like this from Vanderbilt often, and it would've been about anything from redesigning the home to something more serious.
The two met up to talk, and Cooper's mother shocked him with her conversation topic. "She was like, 'Well the most amazing thing happened.' Preface this," her added, "is that my mom was 85 at the time. And she said the most amazing thing. She told me, 'I could still bear children.'"
As you might expect, Cooper was a little confused about what Vanderbilt was talking about, keeping a straight face as he tried to figure out if his mother was saying she wanted to have a baby.
"I've spent my life not reacting to my mom's crazy statements, so I said, 'Yes mom, I think that is amazing. That a gynecologist told you that at age 85 you could still bear a child. I think that's amazing,'" recalled Cooper.
Vanderbilt then clarified that she was suggesting she be Cooper's surrogate, to which he responded, "Mom, I love you. But even for you, this is batshit crazy." All in all, it appeared that Cooper's mother's heart was in the right place, but it was likely not the best idea.
Years later, Cooper welcomed two sons—Wyatt, 3, born in 2020, and Sebastian, 19 months, born in 2022—via surrogate with his former partner, Benjamin Maisani. Unfortunately, Vanderbilt died before they were born, passing away on June 17, 2019, at the age of 95.
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