Ever wondered how tall Anderson Cooper is, if he has kids or if he is Jewish? Here are surprising facts about the journalist you should know.
Anderson Cooper’s Jewish identity or the lack thereof has raised questions in the past, especially after the CNN host sprung in defense of the American Jews following Donald Trump’s seemingly “anti-Semitic” comment about them in 2009.
The star ended up calling out the former POTUS, and even his Jewish daughter Ivanka Trump in an episode of his talk show. His reaction to the comment left many wondering, Is Anderson Cooper Jewish?
So far, no ancestral connections of the actor have been made to Israel, making it unlikely he was Jew. In fact, he is a descendant of the famous Vanderbilt family, which can be traced back to the Gilded age, as one of the wealthiest in the United States.
Here are other surprising facts about Anderson Cooper including how tall he is, what unbelievable gigs he landed before fame, and his family trivia.
How Tall Is Anderson Cooper?
Anderson stands at 5 feet, 10 inches or 1.77m tall, which complements his weight of 70kg. He once mentioned his height while appearing in an episode of his CNN show.
The revelations were surprising for most, who thought him much taller thanks to his remarkable onscreen appearance. At 55, the political commentator has an athletic build, with a waist circumference of 32 inches.
Anderson Cooper Modeled As A Child
Even in his childhood, Anderson Cooper’s stunning physical appearance shone through. Surprisingly, he managed to make a career out of it.
The star has been open about his days as a child model, which kicked off at age ten. Despite his successful stint as a child model, Cooper quit that career path three years later. Discussing why he quit modelling at thirteen, the broadcast journalist divulged:
“I got positioned by a photographer, a male. He somehow got my number and called me up and offered me money and it so freaked me out. I never told anybody, I just stopped. I was like… ‘forget it.’”
Despite deciding not to mention the incident to anyone, the teenage Cooper stayed true to his decision to bid farewell to modeling.
He Grew His Signature Grey Hair At Twenty
Anderson Cooper faced even more mysterious happenings as he grew older. At twenty, he began to develop a patch of grey hair. As the years went by, the grey locks spread further around his hair, gradually replacing his original shade of brown locks.
Before hitting his forties, he had a distinct “salt and pepper,” hair as his two-colored hair has been fondly described. Eventually, the grey hue took over, leaving the icon with his unique silver locks.
He Is A Vanderbilt Heir, But Would Not Inherit His Mom’s Fortune
A descendant of the infamous Vanderbilt family, Anderson Cooper is the sole heir to his mom’s multimillion-dollar fortune, having lost his brother to suicide at 21.
Despite being entitled to the fortune of renowned heiress and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, Cooper stands to inherit nothing. The TV personality once revealed that his mom made it clear to him earlier on that she wasn’t leaving him a dime, not even a trust fund.
Yet, his mom’s decision hasn’t caused a rift between Gloria Vanderbilt and her son. Rather, Anderson Cooper deems his mom the coolest person in the world and hopes to replicate her tactics someday with his own kids. The star, who admittedly doesn’t believe in inheritance once quipped:
“Who’s inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life? From the time I was growing up, if I felt that there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don’t know that I would’ve been so motivated.”
By denying his kids his own fortune, and encouraging them to work for their money, he hoped they would someday make names for themselves as well.
He Is The First Openly Gay Person To Moderate A Presidential Debate
Anderson Cooper went public with his gay status in 2012. At the time, he became the most openly gay journalist on American television.
He went on to become the first openly gay person to moderate a presidential debate in 2014. At the time, he, along with ABC’s Martha Raddatz, Lester Holt, and Chris Wallace, moderated the Trump versus Hillary Clinton debate.
Then, he was in a relationship with gay bartender Benjamin Maisani, whom he began dating in 2009. Sadly, the two split up in 2018, with sources citing Maisani’s refusal to have kids as the reason.
Notwithstanding, the duo became parents in April 2020, when they welcomed son, Wyatt Morgan. Despite their split, Anderson Cooper and his ex-partner decided to co-parent their baby, who they welcomed via surrogate.
In February 2022, the former couple made headlines again with the birth of their second son, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. The duo have continued to co-parent their kids happily, and enjoy a life of bliss as a family despite their decision not to get back together.
