After spending years of covering stories and doing endless interviews, Anderson Cooper is now ready to tell his own story.
This summer, the CNN anchor and journalist turned-daytime talk show host came out of the closet when Cooper granted permission to The Daily Beast to public an email to his longtime friend and political blogger Andrew Sullivan.
"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," Cooper penned. “I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.”
And during his second season premiere of Anderson on Sept. 10, the host, 45, elaborated on his decision to share his sexual preference to the public.
"Now I'm blushing and I'm getting nervous," Cooper nervously giggled when his co-host Kristin Chenoweth asked about his summer. "I came out in high school. I told my friends, I told my family. I've always been out to my co-workers and stuff. It's just not something I talked about publicly, because as a reporter, I didn't think it was appropriate. It didn't seem like part of my job.
Anderson Cooper tweeted this photo with Kristin Chenoweth taken in his photo booth Monday. (Anderson Cooper/Twitter)
"It just got to the point where -- I've been torn for a long time between a desire as a reporter to just do my job and be known as a reporter -- and at the same time I do think visibility is important,” Cooper said. “I do think that the tide of history only moves forward when everyone is fully visible. I didn't want to send a message that there was anything I was ashamed about or unhappy about or not comfortable with. That was the main thing for me.
"I appreciate all the support I got and all the encouragement," said Cooper, son of fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt. "I am the same person I always was, I do the job just the same way."
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