As a Child, He Lost His Famous Father, Then His Brother Died in Front of Their Mom — Today He's a TV Star

The broadcaster chose to bury his pain for many years after the loss of both his father and brother. Only later did he find the strength to confront it. Raised by a fashion legend, he has since built a successful career of his own.

Born into a well-known family, the public figure came from two very different worlds. While his mother's side carried a legacy steeped in history and influence, it was his father's roots that he held onto as a child. His dad, Wyatt had been raised in humble conditions — on a farm in Mississippi.

Though he looked to his father's modest beginnings, the celebrity's childhood played out in a world far different from the farmland his dad once knew. Alongside his older brother Carter, he was raised in a home often described as "American royalty."

His mother, Gloria, came from a lineage of wealth and artistry — a celebrated heiress who made her mark as a designer and painter.

Even though they lived in luxury, their life at home was far from normal. While other moms were in the kitchen, Gloria was creating jeans that became a huge hit across the country. She took her sons to Studio 54 and threw dinner parties with famous guests.

Later on, the TV star shared that he was thankful for those early years. His parents helped him see that there were no limits to what he could imagine or create.

All the fame around him felt normal. He remembered eating dinner next to people like Charlie Chaplin and Truman Capote. The star divulged:

"There wasn't a kids' table. We were expected to learn about who was coming, watch their movies, and talk with them."

Gloria didn't raise him like other moms. At times, he wished she were more involved — like knowing his friends or having snacks in the kitchen. But those thoughts never stayed long. He always felt more comfortable at home, where his mother was creative, different, and full of surprises.

Away from the spotlight of fashion and parties, his father, Wyatt, made his mark through words, gaining recognition as both a novelist and screenwriter.

Tragedy struck when he was just ten. In 1978, Wyatt passed away during open-heart surgery. That moment marked a turning point. The political commentator once expressed:

"Suddenly the world seemed a very scary place. In many ways the person that I was seemed to disappear then, and sort of this new person was formed out of that."

That loss created a silence that stretched into the years that followed. Only much later did he begin to see how much pain he had tucked away. Though he and Carter had always been close, grief put distance between them in ways that words rarely touched.

Their mother often spoke about their father and the loss, but both he and Carter found it hard to have those conversations or revisit the pain. The celebrity acknowledged:

"The loss was so deep. I sort of felt it easier to kind of run from it than address it and think about it."

Years later, memories of Wyatt found a new way to reach him. During a candid interview on "The Howard Stern Show," he shared how his father once wrote a book titled "Families," centered on their own.

Though it never became a bestseller, he saw it as something far more personal — a message from father to son. He has read the book many times, describing it as his father's voice, something that continued to guide him long after Wyatt was gone.

Then, unexpectedly, a radio host reached out. The man had interviewed Wyatt in 1976, around the time the book was released, and sent him the old recording. As he spoke about hearing his father's voice for the first time in decades, the star got emotional:

"I heard my dad's voice for the first time since I was 10 years old."

Hearing the recording brought more than just a voice — it brought back a father's hopes. In the interview, Wyatt spoke not only about his younger son but also about Carter, sharing the dreams he had for both of them.

Yet life unfolded differently than Wyatt might have imagined. In the years after his passing, Carter struggled. At 23, not long after finishing college, he felt lost — unhappy at work and heartbroken after a breakup. Unsure of his next step, he returned to live with Gloria.

Then came the call. Just 19 days after Carter last saw his younger brother in 1988, their mother phoned with devastating news. "He had killed himself," the star revealed in another interview. "He'd jumped off the balcony of our apartment building — right in front of my mother."

Carter's death left the family in deep sorrow. Gloria later admitted that the pain nearly drove her to follow him. She recalled standing at the edge but stopping herself, saying it was her younger son who kept her from going over.

The doting parent spent years trying to cope. Though life continued, she once explained, moving ahead took "a very, very, very long time."

Even with the passage of time, the weight of loss remained. Decades after Carter's death, his younger brother honored him on the anniversary by posting childhood photos on social media.

In the caption, he wrote, "It is 35 years today since my brother, Carter Cooper, died. I think of him, and miss him, every day." That quiet grief stayed with him for years.

During one interview, Anderson Cooper shared a truth he had come to understand about both losses. "I came to realize that I actually have never really grieved my dad or my brother. That I just buried everything and just moved forward," he admitted.

In both moments of heartbreak, he turned his focus to his mother, feeling the need to support her through it all.

Only much later did he begin to see how much pain he had tucked away.

As time passed, the pain of losing his loved ones remained close. In 2019, he faced another heartbreak when his mother, who had built a $100 million fashion empire, passed away at 95.

After years of setting his grief aside, he began to face it more directly in 2023. On his podcast, "All There Is With Anderson Cooper," he spoke about trying to quiet the "shadows of loss" that stayed with him.

Having open conversations with others, including guests like actress Molly Shannon, has brought him comfort. Preparing for the second season, Anderson shared that these talks have helped him feel "less alone."

As he began facing his grief more openly, the public figure has also revisited the path that led him to where he is today. While still in high school, he worked as a waiter — one of his earliest efforts to carve out a sense of independence.

Not long after Carter's death, he asked Gloria for guidance about what to do with his life. She told him, "Follow your bliss." Though it sounded meaningful, Anderson admitted:

"The problem [was], I didn't know what [my bliss] was."

At 17, unsure of what came next, he left high school early and joined an overland journey, traveling for six months by truck from South Africa to the Central African Republic. That experience sparked a desire to explore places far from home.

His first try at breaking into journalism didn't go as planned. He was turned down by ABC News and briefly worked as a researcher at Channel One, a youth-focused network. Frustrated but determined, he came up with his own plan.

"If no one's going to give me a chance, I'm going to have to take a chance," he explained in an interview. He grabbed a home video camera and headed to conflict zones on his own, hoping that by going where few others dared, he'd find a place in the field.

Anderson began in Southeast Asia, sneaking across the Thai border to cover unrest in Myanmar. That first story changed everything. "Right after Burma I realized this is what I wanted to do," he said. "I mean, being able to go places and tell people's stories — it was perfect for me."

Since then, Anderson has become a well-known broadcast journalist and political commentator. He anchors "Anderson Cooper 360°" on CNN and contributes to "60 Minutes" on CBS News.

While the now-57-year-old found his purpose in journalism early on, another part of his identity took longer to embrace. He once shared on "Full Circle" that he fully embraced being gay shortly after college, calling it "one of the blessings" of his life.

At the time, marriage wasn't legal for same-sex couples, and homosexuality was still criminalized in parts of the world. He had even thought about joining the military but was blocked by policies that labeled homosexuality as "incompatible with military service."

About a year after graduating, he decided to stop hiding, saying it made him a better person and reporter. The journalist added that being gay allowed him to love fully and live a life he considers "very blessed."

That sense of self, once so hard-won, carried into the next chapter of his life — fatherhood. Anderson welcomed his first son, Wyatt Morgan, in 2020, naming him after his father.

The middle name, Morgan, came from Gloria's side of the family — a name both his parents had once considered for him. He shared that the moment made him "beyond happy."

Anderson later welcomed a second son, Sebastian Luke, joining his older brother Wyatt. He shares parenting responsibilities with his close friend and former partner, Benjamin Maisani.

Since becoming a father of two, the proud parent has spoken about the joy it brings him. He called this period the best of his life, filled with gentle, funny, and deeply meaningful moments that often take him by surprise.

Anderson Cooper's journey has been defined by love, loss, and discovery. From a childhood marked by privilege and pain to a career built on truth-telling, he has never stopped seeking meaning. Through grief, he found purpose; through fatherhood, he found peace.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.