Anderson Cooper is opening up about what it’s like co-parenting his newborn son, Wyatt, with ex Benjamin Maisani.
The CNN anchor explained why he made the decision during his guest appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday (May 12, 2020).
“I don’t really have a family, and so my friends become my family. And this is somebody that I was involved with for 10 years, he’s a great guy,” Anderson said of his ex and why they’re co-parenting Wyatt together.
He added, “We didn’t work out as a couple… but when I was a little kid, it was just my mom and my brother. But it was my mom and she was not the most parental person and I wish some adult after my dad died, had stepped in.”
“So I thought, if something happens to me or even if something doesn’t happen to me, the more people love my son and are in his life, I’m all for that,” Cooper expressed. “My ex is a great guy and it’s good to have two parents, if you can.”
Cooper also revealed that since Maisani is French, they’ll teach Wyatt to call him “papa,” while Anderson will go by “dad” or “daddy.”
The CNN anchor welcomed Wyatt last month. He is named for Cooper’s father, who died when Anderson was 10.
Cooper told Stern his mom, Gloria Vanderbilt, “was not the most parental person, and I wish some adult after my dad died had stepped in and just been like, ‘You know what, I’ll take you to a ballgame.'”
