Anderson Cooper and his ex-boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, are co-parenting two children who live with the journalist. The trio lives in a fire station that he converted to accommodate the offspring.
On February 10, 2022, Anderson Cooper announced the birth of his second child on the “Anderson Cooper 360” program. The CNN anchor shares the boy with his former longtime partner and best friend, Benjamin Maisani.
Benjamin is a businessman who decided to open his bar, “Eastern Bloc,” after working at one. He built relationships with celebrities at his establishment, and one of these people was Anderson.
The journalist used to frequent the bar, and that’s probably where the pair fell in love. According to Wealthy Persons, Benjamin’s net worth was estimated at around eight million dollars; in his announcement about his new son, Anderson introduced him by stating:
“This is Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper… 6.8 pounds at birth, healthy and happy [with] occasional [adorable] hiccups. He mostly sleeps, eats and poops, but already seems wise and thoughtful.”
The co-parent also took the time to thank the nurses and doctors who helped bring the little boy into the world. Anderson also showed gratitude to the surrogate who carried his second son.
He thanked the woman and her family for the sacrifices they made and the love they gave Sebastian over the past year. It wasn’t the first time the television personality announced the birth of his children on-air.
In April 2020, he took a moment on CNN to reveal the birth of his first son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper. On February 25, 2022, Anderson was interviewed on “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” where he updated viewers about how Wyatt was bonding with Sebastian, saying:
“They seem to be getting along really well. I mean, ‘Getting along well’ — Sebastian sleeps. He can’t say Sebastian yet, he calls him Luke. So every morning he wants to go say ‘Good morning, Luke.’”
After Sebastian’s birth, Anderson took three weeks off to be with his newborn son by taking paternity leave. Speaking with Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa before taking the break, he shared how he was enjoying the time with his boys, noting:
“It’s great to be able to come home and decompress.”
The father of two also revealed the nightly bonding routine he had with Wyatt saying, “And every night to be able to feed Wyatt and give him his milk, he falls asleep on my chest, and there’s nothing better.”
Anderson and the boys also have a morning routine. They go to the diner every morning, and Wyatt and Sebastian love to take a swim. The proud parent enjoys preparing his sons for their afternoon nap by sitting and reading to them until they fall asleep in his arms.
Wyatt and Sebastian also play well together and even use some of their famous dad’s old toys — that he used to play with his brother. Anderson said seeing her sons’ relationship with each other is “incredible” to witness.
Benjamin, a property and nightclub owner, started co-parenting with Anderson when Wyatt was born. The news anchor explained that he would co-parent with his ex even though they weren’t dating anymore, adding, “We’re a family.”
He revealed in an interview that their co-parenting relationship is effortless. When he goes to work at night, Benjamin takes over by looking after the kids. They both wake up right before the boys do, and get them their milk, then spend the first few hours of the day with them. According to Anderson, Benjamin speaks French with their sons.
Anderson made it clear that little Sebastian would be brought up by him and Benjamin, saying, “We’re co-parents. We’re a family.” Benjamin was already legally adopting their first child, who calls him “papa.”
The older boy gave the television personality the title of “daddy.” When the adoption is finalized, Wyatt’s last name will be changed to incorporate both parents,’ Maisani-Cooper, like Sebastian’s.
In a September 2023 interview, the 56-year-old famed broadcaster gushed about being a father, saying, “This is the best time in my life. There is no doubt about it.”
Anderson’s Relationship & Co-parenting with Benjamin Maisani
Anderson and Benjamin started seeing each other in 2009, went public with the relationship in 2015, and revealed they’d broken up in 2018. The couple might not be in a relationship before, but they were so well bonded that the star revealed:
“Maisani is going to be a co-parent to Wyatt even though we’re not together anymore. He’s my family, and I want him to be Wyatt’s family as well.”
In September 2021, Anderson got candid about the strange co-parenting arrangement between him and his ex. He confessed that it worked for them and Wyatt, noting:
“It’s probably an unusual setup, but I knew he would be a great dad, and he is. We’re exes, but we’re family to each other, and we love each other as family and as co-parents.”
The author regularly shares updates on his older son and once revealed how frustrated he’d missed Wyatt’s first steps. However, Benjamin rarely updates but once said his ex changed when Wyatt was born, and Anderson explained their co-parenting arrangement, stating:
“I’ve always believed that if you’ve been with somebody and that ends, in terms of an intimate relationship, if you love somebody, there’s no reason why that love shouldn’t continue.”
In February 2021, during a “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” interview, Anderson confessed to host Ellen DeGeneres that he and Benjamin once wanted different things to start a family. The star elaborated:
“It’s interesting, because he wasn’t really sure he wanted to have a kid—which is one of the reasons we probably broke up—but then, he came around to the idea. Now he is such a great parent.”
Inside Anderson’s Firehouse, Where He Lives with His Kids
On June 9, 2020, Anderson gave People a tour of the home that he converted from a fire station. Viewers got to see what Wyatt’s nursery looked like with its central theme, blue, featuring throughout the space.
The nursery was still in progress, and some photos hadn’t been hung up yet. One painting, done by Anderson’s late mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, of herself and the star’s late father, who Wyatt was named after.
Another image showed Anderson’s handprint when he was a child. One corner of the room had lots of stuffed animals that once belonged to the doting dad, while the blue wallpaper had a beetle design, and a paper mache cupid was hung up above the baby’s white crib.
Anderson explained that he wanted all the items in his son’s room to have personal history and significance. A changing area and a picture of Benjamin and his sister when they were younger were added to the room.
Anderson bought the 8,240 square feet Greenwich Village, New York firehouse in September 2010 for $4.3 million. It had its original brass fire poles, dry hoses, spiral staircases, and walls with murals showing off the fire station’s history.
In 2015, David Beckham and Kevin Hart shot an H&M campaign in Anderson’s [Cooper] home.
In September 2018, the “60 Minutes” correspondent indirectly showed his house off to The Hollywood Reporter while spending three days with the publication. The star lived with Lilly, his Welsh springer spaniel, and he and Benjamin had broken up earlier that year.
The home’s kitchen boasts an island. Anderson spent years restoring it and installed an elevator while the second floor has a salon with taxidermy and Old Master paintings plus hand-painted signs that he collected during trips to Cuba and Africa.
His living room features a side table adorned with a Victorian calendar that he found in his mother’s bedroom. It has the date July 22, 1988, which is the day his brother, Carter Cooper, died by suicide at 23 in their mom’s apartment. Gloria relocated several times after her son died and took along the calendar with her. Anderson once explained that he did not want to let go of everything after he got rid of her apartment following her death.
Including his great-great-grandfather’s Civil War commissioning notice, the star’s personal artifacts are also featured in the home. A photo by his late friend, Tim Hetherington, shows a younger Anderson in Afghanistan.
Another item that stood out in his home was an 18th-century Italian marble, Memento Mori. The firehouse, built in 1906, was renovated by architect Cary Tamarkin with the 20th-century Beaux-Arts building’s interiors.
In 2015, David Beckham and Kevin Hart shot an H&M campaign in Anderson’s home. The advert allowed fans to view Anderson’s beautiful home showing off its living room, gym, roof terrace, and one of his bedrooms.
In addition to losing his mom in 2019 at age 95, and his brother, Anderson’s dad also died in 1978 from a heart attack. After avoiding the grieving process for many years, he finally decided to face it head-on on his podcast, “All There Is With Anderson Cooper,” and has interviewed actress Molly Shannon, who opened up about her own grief. “It has certainly made me feel less alone,” Anderson said of his podcast.